Heimar Lenk, a member of the Central Party who saw the game
Does history repeat itself? If you turn the pages of the Bible and remember the Holy Week in Tallinn in 2024, the parallels will appear involuntarily before your eyes. Not that we are looking for connections between similar events. Although there are plenty of them too. We can only fold our hands and wonder how the man has not changed. Human nature has not evolved in two thousand years. What did Jesus say to his friend and companion Peter? “Before the rooster crows twice, you will abandon me three times!” It was during the Week of Silence, or the Week of Suffering, which lasts from the Feast of Palm Trees to Easter, that he was president. Judas Iscariot soldiers under an olive tree in the Garden of Gethsemane to take the son of God prisoner. The week of the spring full moon had come, when Christ was seen in public for the last time.
In 2024, the silent week also became the last week of the twenty-year period of power for the Center Party in the capital. After his death on the cross, Christ rose from the dead. There is reason to believe that the center party has a new awakening time as well. New and chosen ones will come, for whom the development of the country is more important than securing the well-being of themselves and their families. Prince shopkeepers will now be replaced by a new era of awakening. We are about to enter a new period in history, when the country once again needs true and honest statesmen. These men and women for whom service to their people becomes more important than a shiny package and a good salary.
To overcome the center party in Tallinn, a trick tried repeatedly by the mainstream parties was used: if the rival cannot win the elections, the fire brigade or gangs must call law enforcement in for help. The sprinkler committee always finds some stairs that do not comply with current fire safety regulations. Even the doors of the company can be sealed immediately. In the case of a party, changing the locks is not enough – it is a living organism that can live outside the house as well. A party is the shared ideas and similar thinking of thousands of people. To paralyze, the brain must be damaged. To break the trust of the leaders, pour dirt on the reputation of like-minded people and empty the collective bank account. Prosecutors, bankers and secret police must be brought in. This was done in Tallinn, and the controversial story of the court about the port of Porto Franco became an instrument of destruction. As a result of the process all the defendants were convicted in the district court, including a party known as the Estonian Central Party. The media called the court’s decision a real victory for the prosecutors and a powerful blow that will destroy the Party in the center once and for all.
Of course, a penalty of 1 million euros hurts the parties, but it was not the most powerful blow – moreover, not a critical blow, as the chairman of the party, Mihhail Kõlvart, said . The most violent move against the home party was taken, as surprising as it may have been, by Edgar Savisaare’s once favorite students, who created opposition within the party with him the goal of ousting the founder and longtime president. After this step, the central party would become the proper name for a parquet, with which other political forces would be willing to work together. As long as the party was led by the great Edgar, there was no way to maintain this cooperation. The political party he led was famous for his nursery rhyme – I’m not kidding you!
The first real challenge against the teacher occurred at the 2011 conference, when Ratas was pushed as a challenge candidate for the chair. A group of Edgar’s big supporters like Liina Tõnisson, Siiri Oviir and several others came forward with sharp and shameful accusations. Even her husband Vilja spoke publicly against the father of her child. But they were just flowers. The struggle began with the fruits in 2014-2015, when the internal opposition joined with external enemies. Accusing Savisaare of corruption continued, the disgraceful trial followed, which led to serious illness for the suspect. Until the opponent fought for his life after falling into a coma at the Tartu University Clinic for forty days, the opponents remained hopeful that the opponent would give up and never return. But when, on August 20, 2015, the leader stood on his one remaining leg in Vabadus Square and asked the people to do the same, the opposition’s sweet hope for victory vanished. easy. Savisaar proved that he was stronger than the death that threatened him. A humiliating search by the security police in Hundisilma, being wheeled around the courthouse in a wheelchair, and insulting attacks from former students could not break the stubborn man.
Savisaar won again at the 2015 Tondiraba Jäähall XV conference. Although barely, but still. On October 12, 2016, Ratas announced his claim against Savisaare at the upcoming conference. Secretary General Jaak Aab quickly announced the lists of secret agents. At the conference held on November 5, the audience supporting the Ratas candidate was mostly present in the Paide E-pima sports hall, and that’s how he managed to win. On that day, no one could believe that it was the undemocratically organized Paide suurkogu with almost 15,000 members that started the downfall of the Center Party. Just two weeks later, on November 23, the Ratas government was born, which also included the Socialist Party and the IRL. Although the middle-aged “young politicians” and other close supporters were well paid in the civil service, they could not lead the party to new victories. From the next year, 2017, a popular decline began, which ended with a crash in the 2023 Riigikogu elections. Up to ten parliamentary seats were lost in the parliament. President Ratas did not admit his work was not done and he had no intention of resigning, although good European manners would require it.
At the conference organized in the autumn of the same year, Ratas was not willing to run again and he announced Tanel Kiige, who lost the charismatic opponent. Although the new president Mihhail Kõlvart immediately invited all the parties in the conference hall to move forward together for a common goal, nothing came out of the collaboration. Ratas workers made poor the winners both at the meetings of the departments and while they were doing the work of the Riigikogu. Another blow against the home party was given by the departure of the group’s representatives from the group. Jufereva Reformi, Kiik, Aab, Karuse, Hanimägi became socks overnight. Ratas, Mölder and Karilaid found a place in the ranks of the eternal rival and ideological opponent Isamaa. Another work, probably also given from afar, was completed. The main body of the Riigikogu was broken and a big step towards the destruction of the Center Party was taken again.
The new target was to destroy the Tallinn city government. After all, the Center Party did very well there. He could not go on like this. The composition of the city council was quickly changed and anti-centrist candidates were introduced. The decisions of the city government were opposed during the voting, the work of the main group was always weakened and the weakest were excluded from the path of betrayal. Help also came from the “defenders” of justice. The district court found the Main Party, which had embarked on the path of renewal, guilty of the corruption that occurred during Ratas’ presidency, but Jüri continued to destroy the former home party without protest any conscience. Forgetting that the judgment was not entered, the mayor Kõlvart was also exposed with accusations at the level of rumours. Feeling that this might not be enough, the members of the middle group of the city council quickly began to be frustrated, and one of them managed to be drawn into the ranks of the traitors. It is not known which politician Igor Gräzin failed to promise a few years ago. In any case, it seems that the man who became a religious brother in his old age found new hope for his own rebirth by betraying the party. The vote of no confidence in Kölvart almost passed. Jüri was able to draw a line under the news on the Tuesday of the quiet week. In Oleviste Church Alpha courseI studied Christian fundamentals for a long time
The bike finally did its hard work. He succeeded in bringing the central party to its knees. In the eight years he led the parties, the largest political party in Estonia lost a quarter of a hundred member representation in the Riigikogu, power in Tallinn, Narva and many other places. The centrist party, which led public opinion polls for decades, managed to fall through the floor in a few years.
Certainly, the loss of Tallinn will leave a deep mark on the activities of the county groups, and even now they do not show much enthusiasm. Most of their active members are tired and waiting for new energy. Fortunately, he is not lost. Stormy events in recent years, both in our country and in the world, have suddenly raised interest in politics among young people. Especially among academic youth. A new political elite is emerging, from which members will continue to enter the ranks of the main party.
The Central Party itself will not disappear. Socially unequal Estonia cannot do without it. The Society needs a political party that stands for the continuation of Estonia, a sense of social security for people and a dignified life. Especially, if it is led by a representative, direct, honest and skilled lecturer, such as Mihhail Kõlvart.
* Betrayal is a conscious breach of oath, contract, trust, agreement
