Page 50 - bne IntelliNews monthly magazine December 2023

50 I Central Europe bne December 2023
Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas with Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelinskiy. / bne IntelliNews
Kallas looks for an international way out as domestic sharks circle
Linas Jegelevicius in Vilnius
Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas revived her bid to be the next Nato secretary-general – as her domestic opponents rally against her, she may really need a new job soon.
After winning re-election in March, Kallas’ popularity has swiftly tumbled after she belatedly announced she was planning tax rises to bring down the country’s budget deficit, even though the economy is still struggling to emerge from recession. Kallas has also appeared hypocritical in her hawkish stance on sanctions against Moscow after it was revealed that her husband’s logistics company had continued to operate in Russia after the invasion.
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Since the election the far-right opposition EKRE party has been obstructing parliament by filibustering debates, and now Kallas’ former allies, the rightwing Ismaa party, have joined calls for her to resign and are preparing another no-confidence motion.
The opposition scents blood and even some coalition politicians are now speculating about a change of leadership.
“She is in trouble. Dissatisfaction with her is tangible even among her own ranks. Some just do not dare to speak out against her because of being afraid not to be politically correct – she has helped Ukraine much, perhaps too
much if the support and the GDP ratio
is taken into consideration and, well,
her being a woman is her ally too,” an Estonian analyst, who asked to be quoted anonymously, told bne IntelliNews.
Crumbling reputation
Kallas has won a high profile for herself and for Estonia by her tough stance towards Russia and her strong support for Ukraine. Estonia has given the most aid to Ukraine in relation to GDP, has consistently called for tougher sanctions on Russia and more help for Ukraine, and is planning to raise its defence spending above 3% of gross domestic product (GDP) next year.