Estonian Premier Kallas Narrowly Avoids Government Collapse
- Premier challenges coalition partner to call a confidence vote
- ‘Be a man about it’ and risk toppling government, Kallas says
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Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, a Baltic leader who has been an outspoken antagonist of Vladimir Putin, narrowly avoided a government collapse after she challenged her coalition partner to call a confidence vote.
Juri Ratas, a former premier who leads the junior partner in Kallas’s alliance, had introduced a 300 million-euro ($311 million) family benefits package without the consent of Kallas’s Reform Party. The prime minister accused Ratas of issuing an “ultimatum” and demanded that he put the matter to a parliamentary vote that could bring down the government.