Estonia
The story
Nationalism has shaped Estonian politics both before and after independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 — even liberal, centrist parties pushed assimilationist policy toward the ethnic Russian minority in the 1990s. The Estonian National Independence Party (ERSP), founded by anti-communist dissidents in 1988, entered government from 1992 to 1995 before merging into what became the conservative Pro Patria Union. No party to the left of the Social Democrats has won parliamentary representation since independence in 1991.
2012–2021 · EKRE's rise
The Conservative People's Party of Estonia (EKRE), formed in 2012, became the Baltic states' most successful nationalist party and won 17.8% in 2019 and joined a coalition government with the Centre Party and Pro Patria until early 2021. It argues Estonia should remain a nation primarily for ethnic Estonians while courting conservative, eurosceptic ethnic Russian voters — leaving it comparatively accommodating towards Moscow before 2022, after which it adopted a considerably more critical stance. Party figures cite Fidesz and PiS as models and have voiced sustained sympathy for Donald Trump, including baseless fraud claims about the 2020 US election.
2023–2026 · A party splits
Mart Helme caused a political crisis as interior minister in 2020 with anti-gay remarks, and resigned after accusing Joe Biden of corruption. His son Martin succeeded him as party leader. After a 2023 election loss, EKRE turned to systematic parliamentary obstruction; in 2024, disagreements over leadership, Russia policy and messaging split off six of seventeen MPs, and the party's youth wing left to form Estonian Nationalists and Conservatives (ERK) under Ruuben Kaalep — who has described his mission as fighting "native replacement" and "the LGBT agenda." EKRE's polling has since fallen to its lowest level in more than five years. It lost about five points in the 2025 local elections and was Estonia's fourth-largest party in spring 2026; ERK has attracted only limited support.
The Centre Party — a borderline case
Formed in 1991 as heir to the Estonian Popular Front, left-wing on economics but conservative on LGBTQ rights, and long led by Edgar Savisaar amid autocratic-methods criticism and corruption scandals. It sits in Renew Europe and is excluded from the populist list mainly for lacking clear anti-elitism — though the index calls it a genuine borderline case.
EP elections
EKRE's first MEP, Jaak Madison, elected in 2019, joined the Identity and Democracy group and once wrote — years before taking office — that fascism contained 'many positive nuances' and praised aspects of Nazi Germany's economic record. After re-election in 2024, Madison left EKRE for the Centre Party and switched from the Patriots for Europe group (formerly ID) to ECR.
EKRE
Conservative People's Party of Estonia
- Economics Centre
- Social issues Conservative
- EU Soft euroscepticism
- Authoritarianism Medium