Estonia’s far right surged ahead of Prime Minister Kaja Kallas’s party in an opinion poll after the newly elected premier came under pressure for tax hikes and spending cuts.
(Bloomberg) — Estonia’s far right surged ahead of Prime Minister Kaja Kallas’s party in an opinion poll after the newly elected premier came under pressure for tax hikes and spending cuts.
The ultranationalist EKRE party surged to 24.4% weeks after suffering a bruising election defeat to Kallas’s Reform party, which garnered 22.2%, according to a Norstat poll published Wednesday. Kallas scored a commanding election victory on March 5, buoyed by her staunch support of Ukraine and commitment to the NATO alliance.
Opposition parties led by EKRE for weeks have blocked a sweeping tax hike in parliament after Kallas’s three-party coalition signed off on the plan to shore up the Baltic nation’s budget deficit.
The increase, as well as the reversal of a child-benefits package, were not on the agenda ahead of the vote, leading critics to accuse her of breaking a campaign promise.
The poll signals a resurgence of nationalist forces in the nation of 1.3 million bordering Russia, showing that popular support for the far-right agenda is resilient. EKRE wants a halt to migration and accused Kallas of “warmongering” over Ukraine ahead of the election.
The far-right party is led by former Finance Minister Martin Helme, 47, a polarizing figure who gained notoriety for comments that drew accusations of racism and homophobia.
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