TALLINN: Estonians voted on Sunday in an election marked by jitters over a militarily resurgent Russia and a popular pro-Kremlin party, with the security-focused centre-left coalition tipped for another term.

Moscow’s annexation of Crimea last year and its meddling in eastern Ukraine have galvanised the European Union, including this eurozone member of 1.3 million people, a quarter of whom are ethnic Russian.

Military manoeuvres by Moscow on Estonia’s border just days ahead of the vote further stoked deep concerns in Europe that the Kremlin could attempt to destabilise countries that were in its orbit during Soviet times.

Nato is countering the moves by boosting defences on Europe’s eastern flank with a spearhead force of 5,000 troops and command centres in six formerly communist members of the alliance, including one in Estonia.

“If they (the Russians) come in here, Estonia can’t do anything... I’m not sure Nato will help us out,” Pyotr Sirotkin, a 25-year-old student at Tallinn University, said as he cast his ballot in the capital.

Fresh-faced Prime Mini­ster Taavi Roivas, at 35 the EU’s youngest head of government, is expected to hold onto power.

Published in Dawn, March 2nd, 2015

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