High turnout but few surprises in local elections

All political parties in Estonia claimed to be in positive mood on 19 October a day after local council elections failed to spring any major surprises. The opposition Centre Party retained control of the capital city, Tallinn and attracted the largest share of the vote nationwide with 31.5% of all votes cast, up from its 2005 showing when it won 25% of the vote. The result means former Prime Minister Edgar Savissaar is set to continue as the city’s mayor. The Reform Party of current Prime Minister Andrus Ansip was the second largest party with 17% of the vote nationwide while its coalition partner the Pro Patria/Res Publica Union gained the third largest share of the vote on 14%. Both parties will be satisfied that despite being in charge of the government while Estonia undergoes one of Europe’s deepest recessions, much of the electorate resisted the opportunity to register a mid-term protest vote. However, Ansip said the Centre Party’s strong showing in Tallinn, where it attracted more than 50 % of the vote, showed that other parties needed to redouble their efforts to explain their policies to voters ahead of thee next general election in 2011. If the mentality in Tallinn is like this, it is a signal to other parties, Ansip said on national television channel ETV. The most interesting figure generated by the elections was voter turnout of around 60% - the highest level since 1992 when Estonia was taking its first steps in democracy after half a century of occupation by the Soviet Union.