Narva Mayor Katri Raik Ousted in No-Confidence Vote

The Narva City Council held a no-confidence vote on Sunday that resulted in the removal of Mayor Katri Raik. Sixteen council members voted in favor of the motion, 14 were against, with no abstentions. Jaan Toots (Centre Party) was elected as the new mayor, having previously held the position from 2023 to 2024.

The no-confidence motion was submitted by Urbo Vaarmann of the Plan B electoral alliance shortly after he was elected council chair. Vaarmann cited prolonged turmoil in the city council under Raik and Mihhail Stalnuhhin, the former council chair who was also ousted earlier that day. Additionally, Deputy Chair Jana Kondrašova was removed from her post.

Vaarmann stated that the city government had been unable to function properly, and that the mayor had failed to ensure the operation of the city office and secretary's office. He also criticized Raik's conduct toward city employees and institution heads, specifically mentioning Nadezhda Tšerkašina, the director of the Narva Language Lyceum, whose dismissal the opposition claimed was politically motivated.

In her speech, Raik rejected the accusations, saying she was leaving office with a clear conscience and that she had never been more satisfied with her work. She had been mayor since late 2024 and previously served from 2020 to 2021.

The Centre Party and Plan B alliance noted that Stalnuhhin had managed to postpone council sessions and delay confidence votes for up to 130 days. A nearly 12-hour council meeting in late June was marked by procedural disputes and multiple recesses. Stalnuhhin is a former Centre Party member expelled in 2022 after calling then-Prime Minister Kaja Kallas a "Nazi".