Triple Alliance (Estonia)
Triple Alliance (Estonian: Kolmikliit) is a commonly used political term in Estonia to refer to the various coalition governments between the centre-left Social Democratic Party, centre-right Reform Party and conservative Isamaa or their predecessors. This coalition has formed four times in history - from 1999 to 2002, from 2007 to 2009, from 2015 to 2016 and from 2022 to 2023. None of the coalitions governments have lasted a full parliamentary term. All of the Triple Alliance cabinets have been the second ones of the respective Prime Minister. History Mart Laar's second cabinet In September 1997, the Reform Party, Pro Patria Union (predecessor of Isamaa) and Moderate People's Party (SDE) signed a cooperation agreement, with which the parliamentary group 'United Opposition' was created in order to oppose the perceived populism and left-leaning economics of the Coalition Party and Country Union-led and the Centre Party-backed coalition government. In January 1998, the Reform Party proposed to the Pro Patria Union and Moderates to come to an agreement to form a government in the event that the parties achieve a parliamentary majority in the upcoming 1999 election. At the end of 1998, the parties signed the agreement without agreeing on an eventual Prime Minister. Siim Kallas, chairman of the Reform Party, wanted the leader of the party with the most votes to become Prime Minister. Other political parties were initially against it due the support of the Reform Party being much higher than that of the other signatories to the agreement and Kallas' reputation being tarnished by the 10 million dollar scandal. However, eventually the parties settled on the chairman of the party with the most votes becoming the Prime Minister. Thus, the first coalition to bear the label was formed in 1999 between the Reform Party, Pro Patria Union and the Moderates. The government remained in office for over two and a half years. By late 2001, scandals related to the privatization of state-owned enterprises had made the government unpopular, and relations between the Pro Patria Union and the Reform Party deteriorated. In December 2001, the Reform Party entered a coalition with the Centre Party in Tallinn, as a result of which Edgar Savisaar became the mayor. This happened after Reform had left the same Triple Alliance governing coalition in Tallinn. Prime Minister Mart Laar decided to resign, as he felt that the national level Triple Alliance government had essentially collapsed Andrus Ansip's second cabinet The second Triple Alliance government took office after the 2007 election. The major issues that this government faced included the Bronze Night riots as well as the Great Recession. In the dire economic situation, the government was incapable of solving the problem of required budget cuts due to disagreements with the Social Democrats, who left from the coalition on 21 May 2009 together with its three ministers. Coalition talks with the People's Union of Estonia were derailed on 1 June 2009 by the party councils of the People's Union and of the Union of Pro Patria and Res