Läänemets says Vseviov deal was reached in summer

Social Democratic Party leader Lauri Läänemets said he and Jonatan Vseviov agreed over the summer that Vseviov would join the party, run in the 2027 parliamentary election and become its prime ministerial candidate, ERR reported.

Läänemets told ERR that he began thinking about how to improve the party’s result in the 2027 election about a year ago. He initially made indirect approaches, but reached an agreement with Vseviov in the summer.

The discussions developed over time, Läänemets said, noting that Vseviov had attended government meetings as a senior Foreign Ministry official while Läänemets was a minister. He said Vseviov’s experience and knowledge made him a strong choice for prime minister, particularly because security plays such an important role in Estonia.

“We concluded that it is not possible to move forward the way [Prime Minister] Michal is doing now, or the way Reinsalu would do it,” Läänemets said. “I won’t even talk about Kõlvart. Can anyone imagine Kõlvart negotiating with Russia on behalf of Ukraine?”

Although Vseviov was discussed in the media over the summer as a possible presidential candidate, Läänemets said the idea did not come up within the Social Democratic Party. He said the party announced its support for Chancellor of Justice Ülle Madise in July and had also considered other candidates, including Sven Mikser. According to Läänemets, only the Reform Party and Estonia 200 raised the possibility of Vseviov running for president.

Vseviov announced on Thursday that he would join the Social Democratic Party and run as its prime ministerial candidate in the spring 2027 parliamentary election. He will leave his post as secretary-general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on November 1.