Jüri Ratas confirmed at the extraordinary session of the Estonian Center Party council held in Põltsamaa that he will not run for chairman at the party’s extraordinary congress in Paide on September 10, and that he will support Tanel Kiike, the deputy chairman of the party and Riigikogu faction chairman, in the election of the chairman.
“Changes must come in the policies and composition of the government, as well as in the Center Party. They will definitely come,” he said Jüri Ratas. “It has been repeatedly emphasized that the change of party chairman does not have to be so dramatic and that there is too much washing of dirty laundry in the public space. The congress is a celebration, the election of the chairman and the board, a normal democratic process. I don’t agree with how we got here, but I do agree that there have to be choices and changes. Everyone faces the choice of which Center Party they want. I am glad that Tanel Kiik has decided to run for party leader.”
“I see that Tan has the future of the party: young and energetic, but experienced enough to bring a new lease of life to the Center Party, while keeping the roots of our People’s Front,” continued Jüri Ratas, who has been the chairman of the Center Party since 2016. “The goal of the Center Party cannot simply be the strongest opposition force. We cannot be content to become a party centered on the capital again, where the politics of the country are secondary. Our goal must be to retake the Prime Minister’s chair. As a multiple minister, Tanel has proven that he can make decisions, be substantive and constructive, cooperate and compromise, stand up for our voters and include new ones.”
Jüri Ratas emphasized that unity, which has been the strength of the Center Party, must once again become our trump card, and we must work together to achieve this. “The fact that the members of the party have given me the opportunity to give my best to the Center Party and Estonia, to work as prime minister and to implement the policy of the Center Party, is of enormous value to me, which I will never forget. I have given my best during the entire time spent in the Center Party. There have certainly been mistakes, there have certainly been things that could have been done better, but I have always given my all every day,” confirmed Jüri Ratas.
“But I want you to know: the fact that I am not running for the chairman of the party only means giving up the position, not the party, what we have done together, our past and future,” added Jüri Ratas in conclusion. “I will continue to actively contribute to the political party, which is dear to me and whose future I care about. Politics is not a game where whoever is smarter and has the power at the moment wins. Politician is a serious profession and politics is a job on which the life of every Estonian depends. I sincerely think that our party’s vision of Estonian life is the best.”
