The opposition Center Party is bound to emerge as the undisputed winner of the upcoming local polls in the Estonian capital, mustering as much support as the next two parties combined, it appears from a newly-released survey commissioned by public broadcaster ERR.
According to the special survey focusing on local elections conducted by TNS Emor for the first time in April, 35 percent of Tallinn voters are going to back the Center Party at the October polls. Some 17 percent would vote for the Social Democratic Party (SDE) and the Reform Party each, and Pro Patria and Res Publica Union (IRL) would collect 6 percent of the vote.
Such an outcome would not put absolute power within the reach of the Center Party that at present governs alone in the capital city, TNS Emor analyst Aivar Voog observed.
Of non-parliamentary parties the Greens were backed by 3 percent and both the Conservative People's Party and the Independence Party by 1 percent of voters in Tallinn.
Four percent of Tallinn voters would give their vote to a local electoral alliance and 16 percent, to an independent candidate.
The sample of TNS Emor surveys focusing on parliamentary elections is made up of voting-age citizens whereas for the first-ever local election survey 1,070 voting-age permanent residents were interviewed.