EKRE sets out election promises and campaign slogan

Estonia’s Conservative People’s Party (EKRE) presented its election programme and the slogan “Unwaveringly for Estonia!” at a council meeting in Tartu on Sunday, ERR reported. The council also adopted a political statement.

The statement said the party was committed to national and constitutional values and that Estonia could have a better future if it made the right choices. It described the country as being in a poor state after six years of liberal rule, citing a deep birth-rate crisis, corruption, a prolonged economic decline and a cost-of-living crisis. It also alleged that high immigration threatened to make Estonians a minority in their historic homeland and that the government was violating constitutional rights.

EKRE promised lower energy and food prices, saying it would cut taxes, particularly consumption taxes such as excise duties and value-added tax. It also pledged to abolish the vehicle tax and reduce the land tax.

The party said it would raise wages and pensions by stopping mass immigration, which it argued was suppressing wages and business productivity. It also promised to reduce bureaucracy and provide more supportive benefits for families with children.

On public finances, EKRE said it would balance the state budget and stop the growth of debt by ending what it called wasteful or corrupt projects. Its proposals included halting construction of Rail Baltica, ending subsidies for wind and solar power, stopping aid to Ukraine and payments to other countries where the money’s destination was unknown, and ending funding for what it described as ideologically extreme non-governmental organisations. The statement also opposed state involvement in business.

On national defence, the party called for people to be held accountable over scandals in the sector and for missing millions to be recovered and directed to defence. It said talk of bringing Russia to its knees should be replaced by action to ensure Estonia’s security.