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Centre Party Has Six-Point Lead in Estonia
(Angus Reid Global Scan) - The Estonian Centre Party (KESK) continues to dominate the political scene in the Baltic nation, according to a poll by TNS Emor. 22 per cent of respondents would support the KESK in the next parliamentary election.
The Estonian Reform Party (ER) is in second place with 16 per cent, followed by the Fatherland Union (EI) with 11 per cent, the Estonian People's Union (ERL) with six per cent, the Social Democratic Party (SDE) with five per cent, and the Union for the Republic - Res Publica (RP) with three per cent. The next election is tentatively scheduled for March 2007.
In March 2005, prime minister Juhan Parts—a member of Res Publica—announced his resignation. In April, a new administration—headed by Reform leader Andrus Ansip—was sworn in. The governing coalition also includes the KESK and the ERL.
The SDE has threatened to call a no-confidence motion to stop Ansip from moving ahead with a series of proposed tax cuts. Earlier this month, the prime minister defended his plans, declaring, "We have to struggle and compete with other countries for foreign investment all the time, because other countries are catching up on us in terms of attractiveness of the economic environment."
Estonia joined the European Union (EU) in May 2004. Since 1991, only one of the Baltic nation's administrations has lasted more than two years.
Polling Data
What party would you vote for in the next parliamentary election?
Feb. 1 | Dec. 14 | Nov. 23 | |
Estonian Centre Party (KESK) | 22% | 22% | 24% |
Estonian Reform Party (ER) | 16% | 13% | 19% |
Fatherland Union (EI) | 11% | 10% | 8% |
Estonian People's Union (ERL) | 6% | 8% | 6% |
Social Democratic Party (SDE) | 5% | 8% | 6% |
Union for the Republic - | 3% | 3% | 4% |
Source: TNS Emor
Methodology: Interviews with 744 Estonian adults, conducted from Jan. 11 to Feb. 1, 2006. No margin of error was provided.