Reform Party (RE). Reform is Estonia’s most successful party. The party has been in every government since 1999, and it has held the Prime Ministership between 2002 and 2003 and since 2005. Its forerunner, the Liberal Democratic Party, was also in government between 1992 and 1995.
Reform is a classically liberal and radically pro-market and pro-business party. The party supports very low taxes, (the flat rate tax is currently set at 21%, but Reform would like to lower this to 18%), and favours the end of conscription in Estonia. The party has recently been embroiled in a party funding scandal.
Reform has the youngest and most affluent party party base in Estonia and also pulls some support from affluent members of the ethnic Russian community.
The party’s leader, Andrus Ansip was PM from 2005 until March 2014. Highly popular for a long time there are signs that Ansip is beginning to lose popularity, and he announced his resignation earlier this year. It appears that Ansip is planning a ‘job swap’ of sorts, with the Estonian European Commissioner, Siim Kallas having become PM for the second time, and Ansip likely to be Estonia’s next Commissioner.
The party is Estonia’s second member of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe. The party’s single MEP votes with ALDE 98.1% of the time, making the party the fourth most loyal member of ALDE.
