EU humiliation as Estonia’s government COLLAPSES after PM gets vote of no-confidence

– EU humiliation as Estonia’s government COLLAPSES after PM gets vote of no-confidence:

ESTONIA’S government has collapsed after prime minister Taavi Roivas lost a vote of no-confidence on Wednesday.

The EU member state’s falling government is now expected to be replaced by the traditionally pro-Russia Centre Party following the collapse.With a 62-to-28 vote against Roivas, his Reform Party has been pushed out of power, leading to a new government between the Centre Party, the Social Democrats and the IRL.

The vote, held on Wednesday, was called after the Social Democrats and the Pro Patria and Res Publica Union (IRL) parties resigned earlier this week.If the Centre Party, traditionally seen as an ally to the Kremlin, gets into government, Estonia’s relationship with Nato and the EU might be jeopardised.

Estonia, which has been an EU member since 2003, joined Nato in 2004 and has been one of the few member countries to have fulfilled its commitment of spending two per cent of GDP on defence, despite having signed a cooperation agreement with Russia in 2004.The current leader of the Centre Party, Kadri Simson, insisted Estonia’s policy towards Russia will not change under the leadership of Jüri Ratas, who replaced Edgar Savisaar as the party’s chairman at the weekend.

He said: “Our new leader is very much an Estonian patriot and no one questions this. We are not changing Estonian policies towards EU or Nato.”

“Savisaar has lost his party allies during the past years. He has been very suspicious about his comrade.

“He hasn’t participated in state-level debates and this is very difficult for the opposition party we used to be.”Andrew Anvelt, leader of the Social Democrats, said the country was not about to align itself to Russia.

Mr Anvelt said: “If you look at the mainstream of the party, it’s an Estonian party. I’m 100 per cent sure of that. We can’t see a pro-Russian or pro-Putin party.”Mr Roivas has previously been an outspoken critic of Putin.

Last month, he hit out at the Russian leader for striving to “wage war with undiminished vigour” with Europe.

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