Of course, changes in political parties’ support numbers cause a lively discussion, but the Central Party considers substantive activities and the fulfillment of promises made to voters more important than ratings, confirms Anneli Ott, Secretary General of the Estonian Central Party.
“As Estonia’s oldest political party, we consider it very important to stand up for our principles, and we will stick to our worldview even if there is a slight drop in support,” he says. Anneli Ott. “The new leadership of the Center Party has been in office for a little over a month, and it seems that our voters have a wait-and-see attitude. The board of the Central Party is active, and many active people have joined and are joining the party. We know that the issues that the Center Party stands for reach our people in real life with some time lag. We can assume that the substantive meaning of our messages will also become clearer when today’s decisions of the coalition start to affect the daily life choices of all of us, and not in a positive direction.”
According to Anneli Oti, the Center Party offers a balanced policy alongside parties that tend to extremes, standing up for the underprivileged and a strong middle class. “The Center Party does not support the Reform Party’s tax policy favoring the wealthy, and we believe that in these difficult times, the state must come to the aid of entrepreneurs with countercyclical investments. Today’s government stands idly by as companies go bankrupt and unemployment rises. Apart from the fact that the promises made during the elections have been completely forgotten, Estonians do not even bother to give serious explanations in this regard. Instead, teachers’ salaries will not be raised to the extent allowed, people’s sense of security will be reduced by closing the rescue commando, and a car tax will be introduced.”
Anneli Ott emphasizes that the Center Party has prioritized people-centered policy both when in government and when leading local governments – a fulfilling life must be possible everywhere in Estonia. “Today’s government places additional obligations on local governments, but does not provide the necessary funding. As a result, it is extremely difficult for several municipalities to fulfill the obligations imposed by law. However, the Center Party keeps its promises and, for example, the city of Tallinn stands up for free public transport even in a situation where the government cancels the much-needed county public transport right,” notes Anneli Ott.
