Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves said Dec. 28 that the Estonian opposition Center Party "can have no place in future governments" if the party's key figures do not resign. This is the latest of many official statements made in the ongoing controversy surrounding Tallinn mayor and Center Party leader Edgar Savisaar's ties to Russia, with many Estonian political parties and leaders claiming Savisaar is a Russian "agent of influence." Debate over Russian influence in Estonia and Savisaar's role is likely to become more heated ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for March 2011.
