Editorial: a ranting Savisaar untoppled

Illustration: Urmas Nemvalts

In Centre Party, changes can happen. But not the kind that Kadri Simson stood for, in light of yesterday. Having hear what Edgar Savisaar had to say, harder still for other parties to imagine a coalition with Centre. 

After four major vote magnets at party board elections were from Camp Simson and the latter pocketed 47 percent of chairmanship votes, none of these were deemed worthy to be deputy chairman. The post went to a faithful one. Remarkably, court of honour head Kalle Klandorf thought it necessary in his address to deride the opponents. A (veiled?) threat?

As compared to earlier elections, the win of Mr Savisaar by 55 votes was narrow. To show the widening gap. In the new board, Supporters of Ms Simson are almost a half, but in initial steps by Mr Savisaar there’s no «building of bridge». Having belittled the opponents, he went on to call himself nothing less than Moses.

Perhaps, what follows is in-party persecution of those who «voted wrong». Maybe, there will be «apologies». Who knows, perhaps another bunch will split from the party.

In his speech, Mr Savisaar haughtily reviled Estonian investigative bodies and court. Combined with the statutes amendment allowing those criminally convicted to stay on in the party, the mix feel eerie. For Centre, a court ruling meaneth not a thing.

As was expected, in the address by Mr Savisaar the entire republic was bad. Repeatedly, he underlined his concept of the first and second republic. As opposed to our concept of continuity. Why? What’s more: he now says a third republic needs to be created as reforms are no longer enough. He never specified the «major repairs» it will take. He did deem it necessary, however, to hint at public unrest.  

The foreign policy part of the speech by Mr Savisaar is difficult to interpret as anything other than a continuation of Russian propaganda at the congress of an Estonian party by its chairman.

On cartoon, behold the victorious «Moses».