The Conservative People’s Party of Estonia (EKRE) has expelled several of its leading members following a meeting on Tuesday, amid claims of a dictatorial style from party chair Martin Helme.
The party’s “night of the long knives” sees former Riigikogu speaker and current MP Henn Põlluaas and MP and historian Jaak Valge kicked out of the party, along with Silver Kuusik, the party’s Tartu city council chair and who had mounted a leadership challenge to Martin Helme, and Helle Kullerkupp, EKRE’s Pärnu regional chair.
Põlluaas and Valge had backed Kuusik’s leadership challenge while Kullerkupp had been charged with mismanagement of the party’s affairs in Pärnu, charges she rejects.
The move comes following a European elections campaign in which the party retained its MEP seat, but did not expand on that.
EKRE is also holding a party congress in Jõhvi on Sunday, so the expulsions likely mean Martin Helme will run for re-election as leader unopposed.
More read: ERR.EE