12-Hour Narva Council Meeting Ends with No-Confidence Motions, Land Swap Approved
A nearly 12-hour Narva City Council meeting on Friday ended with three no-confidence motions, procedural clashes, and the approval of a land swap for a military base.
The Narva City Council session on Friday lasted nearly 12 hours, marked by repeated procedural disputes, long recesses, and a battle over the agenda. Council chairman Mihhail Stalnuhhin repeatedly paused proceedings, calling a one-hour recess, a 59-minute recess, and a regular 15-minute break in succession as opposition Center Party members pushed to remove most of the 25 items from the meeting agenda. The Center group wanted to keep only three items, including a planned land swap needed for a new military base in the city.
The dispute escalated into a procedural standoff when opposition council members demanded an immediate vote on their majority-backed proposal without explanation. After a third hour-long recess and a 15-minute break, Stalnuhhin refused to put the Center proposal to a vote, claiming legal authority as chairman to decide what reaches a vote, and instead proceeded to work through the original 25 agenda items one by one. Center Party council members protested by standing during the meeting; one member shouted and banged on a desk, accusing Stalnuhhin of stalling and turning the meeting into a "personal performance." Stalnuhhin defended his actions, saying he was strictly following the law and procedures and noted that he received the most votes in the last local election.
The Center group eventually withdrew its agenda proposal, after which Stalnuhhin called another one-hour recess and a 15-minute break before the full agenda was approved — about five hours into the meeting. Following approval, Center council member Jaan Toots submitted a no-confidence motion against Stalnuhhin, while Plan B council member Urbo Vaarmann filed motions against Mayor Katri Raik and deputy council chair Jana Kondrašova on behalf of both opposition groups. All three motions will be voted on at the next council meeting.
Despite the standoff, the council approved the planned land swap with the Estonian state for the military base, along with a request for an additional €378,000 to compensate for the difference in property values. Two pay proposals for council leadership were voted down by the opposition. Narva's 31-member council remains tightly divided, with ongoing procedural delays preventing official leadership changes. The Center Party and the Plan B–Narva City Pulse electoral alliance hold a narrow 16-seat majority over the governing coalition led by Katri Raik's Respect alliance and Mihhail Stalnuhhin's Narva 2.0 alliance.
