Võrklaev says Estonia’s government is doing fairly well

Reform Party MP Mart Võrklaev told ERR that Estonia’s current government was doing “fairly well” despite the challenges it faces. He also rejected reports that more Reform Party ministers were planning to resign.

Võrklaev said he was unaware of any ministers besides Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur and Andres Sutt planning to step down.

“I certainly don’t know of any more to come. I saw that the opposition was boasting about it. They probably make these things up themselves and then announce them,” Võrklaev said on the ETV programme Ringvaade.

Presenter Marko Reikop cited opposition claims that Infrastructure Minister Kuldar Leis, Minister of Economic Affairs and Industry Erkki Keldo, Social Affairs Minister Karmen Joller and Finance Minister Jürgen Ligi could also leave the government.

Võrklaev said opposition parties were trying to portray the government as weak by spreading such rumours.

“I currently have no knowledge that any other Reform Party minister is planning to leave. Why is the opposition doing this? They are trying to make the government look weak, as if we cannot do our job, and then they make up stories,” he said.

“In fact, I think that, considering the whole context, the current government is doing fairly well. And we can see that Estonia is doing fairly well too,” Võrklaev said.

He said Estonia had long been thought to have experienced several years of economic decline, but revised statistics showed that there had been only one year of economic contraction.

Võrklaev said changing ministers six or seven months before the parliamentary elections would not be politically sensible, despite the departures of Pevkur and Sutt.

“The job requires some time to settle in and familiarise oneself with matters. That is a fairly short time if you want to achieve something in the field. The Reform Party certainly will not change ministers simply for the sake of changing them,” he said.

He added that the Reform Party leadership had not discussed replacing party leader and Prime Minister Kristen Michal.

“I am quite certain that we will go into the elections with the current prime minister, Kristen Michal. There will be no change of prime minister,” Võrklaev said.

Asked whether the dismissal of Defence Ministry Chancellor Kaimo Kuusk following the appointment of a new minister was compatible with good democratic practice, Võrklaev said attention should be focused on the work of the National Audit Office.

He said the National Audit Office’s criticisms and references to problems at the Defence Ministry had already been known last year, when Kuusk promised to resolve them.

“If a year later several problems are still there, then, honestly, I do not see anything unusual in it. If the minister considers it right to take political responsibility for what is happening in his area, then perhaps it would also be appropriate for the chancellor himself to take responsibility, because the things that could have been done during the year should have been done,” Võrklaev said.

He added that the developments surrounding the procurement of ammunition for Ukraine might have come as a negative surprise to Kuusk, but said the issues raised by the National Audit Office had been known for a year and could have been resolved.

According to a Nortsat poll, the Reform Party would win 14 seats in parliamentary elections, compared with its current 36. Võrklaev was asked how this would affect the party, but his response was cut off in the source material.