Former European commissioner Kadri Simson leaves Center Party

Kadri Simson. Photo: Ronald Wittek / EPA

Kadri Simson, former European commissioner for energy and a member of four compositions of the Estonian parliament, announced her departure from the opposition Center Party on Tuesday.

Simson stated that the decision was not made lightly and brought her no joy.

«This year, several prominent members who helped lead and build the Center Party as well as shape Estonian politics have left the party. The new leadership is reshaping the Center Party in a way that feels unfamiliar to me,» Simson wrote on social media. «Membership in my long-time political home is clearly declining -- people leaving is understandable because the principles of the Center Party have changed.»

Simson said that there is talk about some mystical return to the party's roots, but this sounds hollow when it comes from people, some of whom have only joined the party recently.

«These people cannot possibly remember the longer history or essence of the Center Party,» Simson added.

Simson also stated that she does not plan to join any other Estonian political party at this time and does not intend to participate in the local elections.

«Still, I believe my time in Estonian politics is not over,» Simson said.

Simson had been a member of the Center Party since 1995. From 2011 to 2021, she served as the chair of the party's Pärnu County chapter, and from 2003 to 2007, she was the secretary-general of the party. From 2007 to 2015 and again from Nov. 5, 2016, she was the deputy chair of the Center Party. She was a member of the 11th, 12th, 13th, and 14th composition of the Riigikogu and served as the chair of the Center Party parliamentary group from 2009 to 2016 and in 2019.