Estonia 200 and Greens explore cooperation, but quick gains unlikely

Estonia 200 and the Estonian Greens are considering joining forces ahead of the next parliamentary elections, but a partnership between two parties with low support is unlikely to bring a quick rise, political scientist Tõnis Leht told ERR.

The parties began exploring ways to cooperate in the spring. Leht said both had little to lose, noting that Estonia 200 risked disappearing from the political scene without major change, while the Greens had long received marginal support.

Formal merger talks have not begun, said Rasmus Lahtvee, co-leader of the Greens. Representatives of both parties have cited concern that divisions among liberal parties give right-wing populist forces an advantage. Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna of Estonia 200 said parties with shared values could join forces and contest the election together.

In an Emor poll in September, 1.9 percent of respondents supported Estonia 200 and 1.1 percent supported the Greens. Their combined support was still below the five percent threshold for entering parliament.

Leht said a merger was unlikely to change the balance of political power before the next election. In the longer term, he said, there could be an opportunity to combine Estonia 200’s organisational capacity with the Greens’ name and outlook. He cautioned that simply adopting a greener brand would not be enough.

The parties would also need to agree on economic and environmental policy. Lahtvee said the Greens were not opposed to industry, but wanted it to use cleaner technologies and operate more sustainably.

Leadership remains unresolved. Estonia 200’s Kristina Kallas has discussed the issue with Aleksei Jašin, who is also considering the Reform Party and the Social Democrats. The Greens plan to hold a general assembly by the end of October, when more should be known about the prospects for a merger.