The liberal Reform Party of Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, looks set to come out on top in the country’s parliamentary elections, with 31.8% as counting was already completed in most constituencies following Sunday’s vote. The opposition right-wing populist party EKRE came in second with 15.8% of votes, closely followed by the left-wing Centre Party, another opposition group, which garnered 14.5%, according to initial projections. But it is the liberal Estland 200 party who looks set to be the biggest winner, receiving 13.6% of the vote according to the current count, a result that would see the party represented in parliament for the first time. Kallas, who became the first woman to head Estonia’s government in 2021, is seen as one of the European Union’s most resolute supporters of Kiev in its efforts to fight off the full-scale invasion launched by Russia a year ago. The 45-year-old currently leads a three-party coalition with the Social Democrats and the conservative Isamaa party, who garnered 9.4% and 8.3% respectively, according to initial results. Whether this alliance can hold on to power despite high approval ratings for Kallas is unclear, however. Possible coalitions are likely to be determined by how the two opposition forces, the EKRE and the Centre Party, perform in the elections. A total of 966,000 Estonians were eligible to vote in the ninth election, since the country became independent from the Soviet Union in 1991, with a total of nine parties and 10 independent candidates in the running. According to preliminary results, turnout stood at 63.7%. Estonians were also able to cast their ballots online, an option the government introduced in 2005 as the first country in Europe to do so. More than half of all votes were cast online, a new record for the country.
Source: Ghana News Agency
