Concatenated JPRS Reports, 1993 — Taagepera, POSTIMEES Editor View October Elections

This document is a JPRS report dated September 6, 1993, titled 'There Are No Parties in Estonia,' authored by Bjarne Nitovuori. It provides an assessment of the political landscape in Estonia one year following the country's first democratic parliamentary elections. The report argues that a stable constellation of political parties has not yet formed. According to Vahur Kalmre, editor-in-chief of the Tartu newspaper POSTIMEES, political parties in Estonia are very young and exist primarily within the parliament rather than in rural areas. The report highlights the observations of political expert and Tartu University professor Rein Taagepera, who contends that parties in the traditional sense do not exist in Estonia. Instead, Taagepera suggests that political life is dominated by groups surrounding strong personalities, a situation he attributes to the lack of distinct social classes. The text further notes that the division between government and opposition parties is considered artificial, as it does not fit the reality of the Estonian political system. Finally, the report mentions efforts by Edgar Savisaar to organize an opposition bloc by attempting to unite non-coalition parties, including cooperation with Estonia's Citizens Party.