Today’s political situation in the country is at a standstill and it is being dragged deeper and deeper into the quagmire by the Prime Minister and the Reform Party, who are struggling in the Eastern Transport scandal, and it should be self-evident that the Prime Minister, who demanded everyone to follow his moral compass, also understands the meaning of his words and resigns, said Jüri Ratas, chairman of the Estonian Center Party, at the extraordinary congress in speech.
“Instead, by holding on to her chair, Kaja Kallas has neglected to take care of the country,” said Jüri Ratas. “Estonia is facing a long-term economic recession. All important manufacturing sectors are in decline or under stress. According to the experts, there is no quick improvement on the horizon.”
Jüri Ratas, who held the office of prime minister in 2016-2021, recalled that after the short-term decline during the pandemic, the Estonian economy recovered much faster and stronger than in the rest of Europe. Today, however, we see that the Estonian economy has fallen into the deepest recession in the European Union,” he noted. “And what does the Reform Party do? He is raising VAT and income tax in order to implement one party’s obsession, that is, a 500 million tax reform, which will give people earning a higher salary up to 100 euros every month, but people earning a median salary six cents. This difference is 1666 times.”
According to Jüri Ratas, if the Reform Party’s policy continues, Estonian society will face an increase in inequality. “The big problem of the current coalition is the lack of strategic vision regarding the Estonian economy. A flawed narrative centered only on balancing the budget and dismantling a fairer tax system will get us nowhere,” he noted. “Unfortunately, the current government cannot save Estonia’s economy. The Reform Party looks like a tired party that has run out of ideas. Their best strategy so far has been to let the chips fall where they may, literally.”
“Taking all of this into consideration, the goal of the Center Party cannot simply be the strongest opposition force,” added Jüri Ratas. “We cannot be satisfied with turning into a party centered on the capital again, where state politics is secondary. Our goal must be to take the prime minister’s chair again in order to bear the burden of responsibility both domestically and in terms of defense and foreign policy.”
