Ossinovski: Social Democrats' rating rising mainly in Tallinn and Tartu
Estonian Social Democratic Party deputy chairman Jevgeni Ossinovski says his party's growing support is driven mainly by big cities, partly reflecting voters' assessment of Tallinn's new city government. A September Emor poll put the Social Democrats at 17%, matching the Centre Party for the first time.
Jevgeni Ossinovski, deputy chairman of Estonia's Social Democratic Party (SDE), said in an interview with Rus.ERR that the party's rising popularity is being driven mainly by large cities, particularly Tallinn and Tartu.
According to Emor's September poll, the Social Democrats have the support of 17% of voters — one percentage point less than in August, but enough to match the Centre Party, whose rating has been falling for four consecutive months.
Ossinovski said results vary between polling companies, but over a longer period a clear upward trend for the Social Democrats is visible, most pronounced in the capital and in Tartu. While average nationwide support for the party is around 15–17%, in Tallinn it exceeds 20%, while in rural counties it is significantly lower.
Ossinovski believes the current rise continues a trend that began before the 2025 local elections and continued afterward.
Assessment of Tallinn's city government
Ossinovski, who served as Tallinn's mayor for more than a year and a half until this October's elections, named residents' dissatisfaction with the current city administration as one reason for the growing support — including the cancellation of several public transport projects and a hospital project.
He also said poll results reflect voters' attitudes toward other opposition parties, particularly the Centre Party and Isamaa. Ossinovski noted that more people are recognizing the unrealistic nature of promises to simultaneously raise benefits and cut taxes, and are instead looking for the more balanced approach offered by the Social Democrats.
Russian-speaking voters
Ossinovski separately commented on support among Russian-speaking voters, noting that an increasing number of people with Russian as their native language now identify themselves as Estonian-speaking, since they answer pollsters' questions in Estonian. In his assessment, the younger, more educated and active part of the Russian-speaking population is increasingly resembling Estonian-speaking residents in its characteristics. The Social Democrats do have support mainly among younger, more educated Russian-speaking residents of Tallinn, though he said no major shift in this group's preferences has occurred in recent months.
