RIGA, 8 Apr. (DPA/EP) –
The Reform Party of outgoing Prime Minister Kaja Kallas and the Estonia 200 (E200) party, both of a liberal tendency, as well as the Estonian Social Democratic Party (SDE), approved a coalition agreement on Saturday to govern the Baltic country. The tripartite will have the support of 60 of the 101 representatives that make up the Estonian Parliament.
“We want Estonia to be protected, the well-being and way of life of our people to be guaranteed, public accounts to be in order, education, language and culture to be preserved and tomorrow to be better for everyone.” Kallas stressed.
Kallas, who leads the Reform Party, will foreseeably continue like this as prime minister and will be accompanied by twelve more ministers in the Council of Ministers, two more than before the agreement.
The pact includes a rise in value added tax and income tax and the approval of a new tax on motor vehicles.
Likewise, a new law on equal marriage, climate reforms and greater collaboration with neighboring countries are expected, as well as greater support for Ukraine, at war with Russia. In this sense, it has been agreed to increase military spending to 3 percent of GDP over the next four years.
Kallas’s party clearly won the elections on March 5 and remains the main political force in the country. However, he changes coalition partners, since although he maintains the SDE, he leaves aside the conservative Isamaa (Homeland) party.
The E200 party was born in 2018 and has achieved parliamentary representation for the first time in these elections.
