A scandal has broken out in Estonia between Prime Minister Kaja Kallas and ex-Prime Minister Andrus Ansip in connection with the upcoming elections to the European Parliament, the Estonian broadcasting portal ERR reports.
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“Previously, the chairman of the ruling Reform Party, Prime Minister Kaja Kallas asked her fellow party member, former head of government, and now member of the European Parliament Andrus Ansip not to stand as a candidate in the next elections to the European Parliament, which will be held from June 6 to 9, 2024,” – the message says.
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In an open letter to Ansip, Kallas accused the MEP of using his position in the European Parliament to constantly criticize the work of the government and the Prime Minister of Estonia and called on him not to run in the next elections to the European Parliament, noting that he “can criticize the party, the government and the Prime Minister while at home “.
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Ansip replied to Kallas that he was not going to silently watch the decline of Estonia’s economy and the well-being of the people and remained unconvinced, believing that “Estonia needs a trustworthy head of government. His absence in the current situation is a security threat.”
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Ansip also said that he will make a decision on nominating his candidacy for the European Parliament elections at the end of March, ERR notes.
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According to the latest opinion polls, almost 70% of Estonians believe that Prime Minister Kallas should resign. The decrease in support for the prime minister was influenced by the scandal with her husband’s business in Russia, as well as the government’s adoption of the state budget for 2024, which provides for an increase in turnover tax and personal income tax, a reduction in family benefits and the introduction of a tax on cars, which will negatively affect welfare residents of Estonia.
