Estonia: Right-Wing Populists in the «Strange Coalition»

Abstract

The article analyzes incentives to and mechanisms of building a coalition of Center Party, Pro Patria and Estonian Conservative People’s Party in Estonia, as well as provisional results of this coalition’s activities since April 2019. Basically social democratic and traditionally «pro-Russian» Center Party that stands for inclusive democracy and building of a civic nation, found oneself in a block with right-wing conservative Pro Patria party that is associated with the Estonian ethnic nationalism of the 90s. The third actor in the coalition is an anti-system right-wing populist ECPP. The ideological flexibility of both centrists and conservatives was negatively interpreted by the voters, and the ECPP-provoked scandals concerned with family violence, corruption, anti-Russian and Eurosceptic rhetoric and press freedom violation, have discredited the new Estonian government both inside and outside Estonia. The conflict escalated between coalition partners and between government and Kersti Kaljulaid, the Estonian president. ECPP had to soften its rhetoric and to withdraw a part of its notorious demands, which has led to disillusionment of the ECPP electorate. The author concludes that the very fact of the coalition, as well as the measures taken and statements made by the newly-formed government have negatively affected the public image of the member parties and have led to an increase in popularity of the Reform Party that was driven to opposition.

Keywords

• government
• coalition
• estonian conservative people’s party
• minimum winning coalitions
• right-wing populism