Reform Party won the elections in Estonia – Republic

AFP

According to the preliminary results of the center-right Estonian Reform Party (ER) Prime Minister Taavi Rõivas won the elections on Sunday Estonian parliamentary winning 27.7 percent. Vote – BNS agency reported.

The victory of his group, leading policy closer ties with NATO and the West, announced on national television ETV Prime Roivas. Observers suggest that in the previous elections in the ER voted slightly more voters – 28.6 percent.

The second place was the opposition, who advocated tighter ties with Russia, Estonian Centre Party (ECC) of 24, 8 percent. votes (previously 23.3, per cent.), and the third the Social Democratic Party (SDE), which received 15.2 percent. votes. ECC leader Edgar Sarvisaar was the candidate for the highest number of votes were cast individually. It overtook the leader of the Reform Party of classification, the Prime Minister Taavi Rõivas.

Fourth place went to Union “Fatherland” and “Republic” (IRL), in which 13.7 percent of votes cast. voters.

The turnout was 63.7 per cent. the right to vote being 33 percent. voters decided to cast their votes via the Internet or earlier – on Wednesday, February 25, when it was possible to vote before the deadline.

The results published on its website the Central Election Commission based on data from all 547 polling stations .

According to preliminary calculations, the Reform Party will receive approx. 30 seats in the 101-seat parliament (Riigikogu), the Centre Party – 27, SDE – 15 and IRL – 14 seats. Two smaller parties – the Freedom Party and the Conservative People’s Party of Estonia (Ekre) probably will have 8 and 7 seats.

If these results prove that the final would mean some weakening of the Reform Party and strengthen the Centre Party. In the previous parliament ER had 33 deputies and ECC – 26. Points out that Roivas, which is likely to form a new coalition government will have to expand the base, where it will be based as ER and its former coalition partner – the Social Democrats of SDE – they will not have majority in the parliament.

The Centre Party votes cast approx. 70 percent. Russian-speaking population of Estonia. Roivas already stated that exclude it as a possible coalition partner.

Sunday’s vote was held in an atmosphere of anxiety about the security of the country, caused by the role of Russia in Ukraine. Prime Minister Taavi Rõivas expressed concerns that Russia may seek to destabilize other countries of the former Soviet Union.

Among the numbering approx. 1.3 million people of Estonia almost 333 thousand. people speak Russian and a little over 92 thousand. holds a Russian citizenship. Over 150 thousand. people, mostly ethnic Russians, received Estonian citizenship since the announcement by Estonia’s independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.

Reuters points out that under the Reform Party of Estonia pursued consistently conservative and free-market policies. It is one of the few countries in NATO, which is spent on defense 2 percent. GDP. Public debt is very low at 9.6 percent. GDP (for comparison, in Greece – 175 per cent. Of GDP) and the unemployment rate fell from 16.7 per cent. in 2010. to 7.4 per cent. 2014.

Reform Party won the elections in Estonia – Republic