Voltenberg to lead Social Democrats in Pärnumaa election race

Former Pärnu mayor Kristel Voltenberg will lead the Social Democratic Party’s list in Pärnumaa, a county, in the parliamentary elections, ERR reports. She said she wants to represent Pärnu’s interests more forcefully and cited the party’s support for regional policy as a reason for joining its ticket.

Voltenberg criticised the government for what she called the unjustified postponement of railway construction, saying Pärnu needs faster transport connections to attract more people to work, live and spend holidays there.

Social Democratic Party leader Lauri Läänemets said he expects the list led by Voltenberg to achieve a historically strong result in Pärnumaa. He praised her work as mayor and said it was time to replace politicians in parliament who, in his view, only appear to represent Pärnu.

Voltenberg was elected in the 2025 local elections and led Pärnu until August 2026. She is now a member of the Pärnu city council and holds master’s degrees in European studies and law from the University of Tartu.

The Social Democrats have struggled in Pärnumaa in the past two parliamentary elections. In 2023, the party received 2,938 votes, or 6.7 percent, in the county, while its nationwide result was 9.3 percent. Its lead candidate, former trade union leader Peep Peterson, received 755 votes.

In 2019, the party won 2,780 votes in Pärnumaa, also 6.7 percent, compared with 9.8 percent nationwide. Its lead candidate, Indrek Tarand, received 1,061 votes. In 2015, the Social Democrats received 4,641 votes, or 11.8 percent, in the county and 15.2 percent nationally. Indrek Saar led the county list, received 1,944 votes and entered parliament through a compensatory mandate after missing a constituency seat.