Kohtla-Järve's June Coup Creates Controversial Governing Coalition
After removing Mayor Max Kaur, Kohtla-Järve's city council elected Evelyn Danilov as new mayor but approved her city government with only 12 votes, forming a minority administration backed by the pro-Kremlin Koos party, major party politicians, and associates of the late oligarch Nikolai Ossipenko.
In Kohtla-Järve, one of Estonia's largest cities, the last day of June brought a political upheaval. The 25-member city council first ousted Mayor Max Kaur with 14 votes in favor. Then Evelyn Danilov was elected mayor with 18 votes. However, her proposed city government secured only 12 votes, effectively a minority administration.
Support for the new government comes from a diverse group: the previously opposition election alliance Restart Kohtla-Järve (including Reform Party and Isamaa representatives), the council's only Social Democrat, and two council members who left the Center Party group earlier that day, causing the Center Party to lose its long-held sole control. The additional votes came from the Koos party, including executive board member Margus Liiva.
Koos is the only party in Estonia known for its pro-Kremlin stance, and its spiritual leader Aivo Peterson has been convicted of treason. Despite the awkward alliance, no official coalition has been announced. Koos politicians have nevertheless celebrated on social media, claiming they orchestrated the power change.
New Mayor Evelyn Danilov was previously closely associated with the late local oligarch Nikolai Ossipenko, having held senior positions in his companies and managed election campaigns for his political alliances. All four members of the new city government were suspects in the 2022 major corruption scandal; proceedings were dropped against three, but Deputy Mayor Deniss Veršinin remains under investigation.
Ossipenko's previous influence caused chaos in Jõhvi's municipal council, where no formal coalition was formed and decisions were made in semi-secret meetings. After the no-confidence vote, former Mayor Kaur said he felt Ossipenko's ghost had brought him down again, as had happened six years earlier in Jõhvi.
Critics argue the coalition further damages Kohtla-Järve's reputation and hinders cooperation with the national government and other municipalities. The sequence of events was reversed: a city government was approved without a clear coalition or action plan. Observers suggest starting over, preferably without the Koos party.
