Chairman of the Center Party, Jüri Ratas, informed his fellow party members today that due to infighting, decisions are being made that are harmful to the party and cannot continue like this, so it is right to organize an extraordinary congress. Ratas himself is not running for chairman in order to advance the party.
At the meeting convened by Ratas, the chairman of the party pointed out the reasons why the situation in the party has become extremely tense and explained the board’s discussions about the Parvel Pruunsilla donation. “Reasons, such as linking the Central Party EKRE and the Fatherland due to a donation or an image issue, were obviously the reasons sought. No one doubted that it was a worldview donation. However, it was decided to damage the party’s reputation and credibility, as well as today’s activities, regions and development,” Ratas found.
He said that many of the party’s activities are largely on hold due to the tight budget. “We haven’t been able to support enough regions, campaign or convey our message in the form of, for example, Midweek. Many of these things have been blamed on today’s leadership, not considering that a year before the Riigikogu elections, the Central Party had to pay 843,000 for old campaigns, and at that time it was indeed an existential issue. However, several regional chairmen and critics in the board also voted down the possibility of improving the situation a little, because the chairperson is wrong,” said Ratas.
According to Ratas, who has led the Center Party since 2016, Estonia’s oldest and largest political party must no longer be made a victim due to infighting. According to him, the board’s decision on Thursday showed that the party could weaken even more every day, and an extraordinary congress must be organized to prevent more damage. “According to the statute, I proposed to convene an extraordinary council and confirm the holding of an extraordinary congress on August 19 in Paide. Since this has been the wish of many party members for a long time, I hope that my proposal will not become the next object of struggle,” emphasized the chairman of the Center Party.
Ratas added that he had already emphasized at the previous council that he would not run for the next congress. “It was not a trick, I still stand by this point of view and will not run for the chairman of the party. The choice cannot and must not be between Jüri Ratas or Mihhail Kõlvart. The party needs a new lease of life and a person who can unite the party and move it forward, cooperate inside and outside the party, and who is a serious prime ministerial candidate,” said Ratas.
