Reform and Center to hammer out coalition agreement over week and a half

Kaja Kallas and Mailis Reps. Photo: Madis Veltman

Estonia’s candidate for prime minister Kaja Kallas (Reform Party) said at a press conference on Thursday that Reform and Center will try to move quickly as the country find itself in the middle of COVID-19 and economic crises. It has been suggested the two parties have held talks in the past and have the makings of a coalition agreement.

Thursday was full of hurrying and short answers from both the Reform Party and the Centrists. Mailis Reps (Center), Kaja Kallas and Keit Pentus-Rosimannus (both Reform) were in high spirits during a press conference in the Riigikogu, while Minister of Education and Research Jaak Aab (Center) maintained his distance and a more serious demeanor. Reform members seemed eager to get the talks underway saying, “We would like to get on with it. Plenty of time for comments later.”

The agreement to be less detailed than its predecessor

Both parties have initial plans in place. Rough drafts have been drawn up and the sides are prepared to negotiate. Neither can afford to repeat mistakes made after elections in 2019. The Reform Party won the March 3 election by a landslide. The party offered Center a coalition, while the talks quickly broke down. A few days later, Jüri Ratas said his party would not be a part of a Reform government.

Both parties have their negotiators. Mailis Reps and the outgoing government’s social minister Tanel Kiik for Center and Kaja Kallas, Keit Pentus-Rosimannus, Mart Võrklaev and Gerrit Mäesalu for Reform. PR agent Mäesalu is not a Reform Party member and his participation in talks is a formality, Kallas said.

Everyone seems to be quiet and open to compromise the second time around. “We started with general topics. How our cooperation could work before we move forward. We have discussed where we stand and can provide an overview once we’ve gotten somewhere,” Kaja Kallas said on Thursday. Mailis Reps agreed and added that the new coalition agreement will not be as detailed as the one signed by Center, EKRE and Isamaa.

Both admit that time is short and crises ongoing, which is why agreements are needed post haste. Keit Pentus-Rosimannus said that moving forward at this pace requires one to stay calm. “It will take at least until the end of next week as topics need to be covered and agreements made. I believe we are all looking forward to a new government,” she added.

Work is being done on two fronts in the Reform Party. While its delegation was negotiating with Center, MPs went over documents, the party’s election promises and the current situation to forward more important items to the negotiating team. Kaja Kallas said that Reform’s veteran politicians are working hard behind the scenes.

Head of Center’s Riigikogu group Andrei Korobeinik said that their delegation and board do not need much help at present. MPs will have to get to work once a framework starts taking shape. “Our election program is a great help. It includes a plethora of things that still need to be done,” Korobeinik said in terms of what the negotiators are drawing from.

Consensus over specifics

“We will put together a coalition based on equal grounds,” Kallas said with confidence. Reform representatives reiterated their stance that solving the coronavirus crisis is the number one priority. The incoming coalition wants to pursue a campaign to encourage vaccination.

Kallas said it is the only way to exit the pandemic and return to normal life. It was also put down on paper that support measures for revitalizing the economy will be made available. “We are working on an activity plan to escape isolation,” Kallas said.

The incoming prime minister said that progress has been good, while more complicated topics lie ahead of the sides. “Things on which we disagree will prove more difficult,” she said. Mailis Reps said that the partners will continue to look for solutions both are comfortable with. “Our voter groups are different, while these are not conflicting parts,” Reps remarked.

The Reform Party’s election promises include the creation of a universal Estonian education system starting from the kindergarten level to ensure everyone in Estonia equal opportunities and close the language gap in society. Reps said that the education discussion will be interesting, while Kallas said that efforts will be made to find a compromise.

Even though the delegations were initially to agree on a fixed timeline, that did not happen. It was only agreed that topics on Friday would include fiscal and economic matters, innovation and taxes. Both Reform and Center have said they will be looking at the big picture first. Kallas described the topic as complicated, adding that it will prove possible to talk about revenue and expenses, plans for the future of the coalition and strategy once work on the four-year fiscal strategy starts in March. “We are aiming for a general cooperation agreement, while the budget strategy requires more detailed debates,” Kallas explained.

The chairman said that Reform has two major goals. “The first is to ensure the longevity of the Estonian state, people and language. The second is for our economy to work.”