Indrek Nägelik has led the Left Alliance since the beginning of the year. Although he serves as chairman of the party’s board, he says he is not the party’s leader because, under the party’s bylaws, no such strong leadership position exists.
“I’d probably use the term ‘spokesperson,'” he said of his role.
The Left Alliance, which until last year was known as the Estonian United Left Party, is currently undergoing a renewal process, Nägelik said, with both its leadership and its political outlook changing.
Officially, however, the party has just 508 members — only slightly above the legal minimum required to remain registered. A large share of those members are of retirement age and originally joined the former United Left Party rather than the Left Alliance. They have since remained on the party’s membership rolls.
Nägelik said that in recent months, the party has seen slightly more people join than leave. Its more active members have also formed a Discord group where they discuss both party affairs and other important issues.
“We have around 30 or 40 people who are engaged on a daily basis, contribute and take part in discussions. I think the share of members in our party who keep up with weekly developments and express their views is actually higher than in Estonia’s larger parties,” Nägelik said.
According to Nägelik, what distinguishes the Left Alliance from the Social Democrats is its stronger emphasis on left-wing tax policy.
“For years we’ve been hearing that the Health Insurance Fund’s reserves will run out within the next 10 years. The Left Alliance takes a somewhat tougher and more direct approach on this issue. […] What sets us apart from the Social Democrats is that we are more demanding in this regard,” he said.
Greens co-chair: Several people have joined the Social Democrats and been disappointed
Like the Left Alliance, the Estonian Greens are also preparing to run in the upcoming Riigikogu elections. Greens co-chair Rasmus Lahtvee said the party is already getting ready for the campaign by reviewing its platform and speaking with potential candidates.
Like the Left Alliance’s leader, Lahtvee said the Greens’ political outlook differs from that of the Social Democrats. While the Social Democrats often present themselves as environmentally minded, he said, that commitment is not reflected in their actions.
“Several people have joined the Social Democrats, for example, and from what I’ve heard, they’ve been disappointed with the choice they ultimately made,” Lahtvee said.
That does not mean, however, that party members have not discussed the possibility of joining the Social Democrats.
“There certainly hasn’t been any serious discussion at the leadership level, but once again I can confirm that different ideas have crossed people’s minds and from time to time there has been speculation about whether the party should merge with another one, and if so, with whom,” Lahtvee said.
Lahtvee said party members have also occasionally discussed whether the Greens should continue as a separate party at all. He added, however, that those discussions have never been serious.
“Of course, from time to time there are people who wonder whether it’s necessary. So far, we’ve concluded that it is and continued working toward that goal,” Lahtvee said.
Who is green enough?
Five years ago, however, the Greens were led by Züleyxa Izmailova, who has since rejoined the Social Democrats for a second time. She had previously been a member of the Social Democrats before joining the Greens. Izmailova, however, entered the Riigikogu as a member of Eesti 200.
Izmailova said she does not regret her decision to return to the Social Democrats. In her view, they are currently the only political force in Estonia that stands up for environmental and green issues.
Doesn’t the Greens party stand up for those issues?
“They probably do, but we simply don’t know what the Greens are doing. We don’t hear from them or see them. I think that’s their problem,” Izmailova replied.
Izmailova said she left the Greens in 2022 largely because she did not believe the party’s situation would improve in the future.
“Since then, the situation has probably become even worse,” she said.
Izmailova said that when she led the Greens and Indrek Saar was chair of the Social Democrats, the two parties’ leaderships seriously discussed the possibility of a merger. She also urged the Greens to join the Social Democrats now.
“Unless they’ve somehow found a lot of money in the meantime and are joined by a wave of outstanding young people with the energy to lead the party, I think it would make more sense to join the Social Democrats and fight together. One of the biggest problems facing the environmental movement over the years has been fragmentation. We need to unite more and I would certainly recommend that they do so,” she said.
Asked what, ideologically, distinguishes the Greens from the Social Democrats, Izmailova said she could not answer.
“Honestly, I don’t know. I know what the Social Democrats stand for, but I don’t know what the Greens’ ideology is today. Environmental issues are one thing, but politics has other dimensions as well. Society is not built around a single issue. […] I don’t know what their views are on fiscal policy, economic policy or, for example, healthcare,” she said.
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