«The top five based on the number of votes speaks of a certain discontent or party members' wish to renew the party, as two totally new members who joined the party less than a year ago - Anne Sulling and Maris Lauri - made a very strong showing,» Saarts told BNS on Monday. "The biggest number of votes given for Kaja Kallas, an active critic of the internal processes of the party, is a clear signal of internal dissatisfaction."
A general assembly of the Reform Party on Sunday elected a new 14-member governing board. Kallas collected 666 votes, Jurgen Ligi 623, Hanno Pevkur 606, Anne Sulling 577, Maris Lauri 555, Urmas Paet 551, Urve Tiidus 518, Arto Aas 491, Ants Laaneots 472, Urmas Kruuse 403, Kalle Palling 391, Aivar Soerd 376, Keit Pentus-Rosimannus 362 and Rein Lang 361 votes.
«It's worth taking a look at the top five, this shows best what happened,» Saarts said. «The top five includes Kallas, who is an outspoken critic of the present state of things, as well as Ligi, who has rather been a supporter of the present course. The top five further includes Sulling and Lauri, who are actually newcomers and who certainly never belonged to the old nomenclature, and Hanno Pevkur, who has taken a relatively neutral position.»