MOSCOW, October 21 (RIA Novosti) – Results from the weekend mayoral election in Estonia’s capital Monday showed the incumbent securing an easy win over a candidate that local officials said had been undermined by interference from Russian authorities.
Veteran politician Edgar Savisaar of the Center Party garnered 39,932 votes in Sunday’s election to win another term as mayor.
His rival, Eerik-Niiles Kross of the minority Islamaa ja Res Publica Liit party, came in second with 6,354 votes, according to the National Electoral Committee.
The result still ensures Kross - the Baltic nation’s former spy chief - a place on the 70-seat city council, where his party will hold 16 seats. The Center Party maintained its majority hold on the council, winning 46 seats.
The Center Party has close ties to Russia’s ruling United Russia party and signed a cooperation agreement in 2004.
At Russia's request, Interpol issued an international arrest warrant for Kross on the eve of Sunday’s election, on charges of organizing maritime piracy. The move drew vocal claims that Moscow was trying to affect the outcome of the vote.
Kross and other government officials from Estonia’s minority parties slammed the timing of Russia’s request as politically motivated.
A senior Estonian police official told national public broadcaster ERR News that the wanted posting had been cleared by an independent committee which had concluded the request wasn’t political. The official said the timing of the notice seemed coincidental.
Kross was charged in absentia in Russia in 2012 for allegedly organizing the 2009 hijacking of the Arctic Sea cargo ship in the Atlantic Ocean. Russia has tried to put Kross on international wanted lists before, but Estonian officials have maintained there is no basis to detain him and refused in January to hand him over to Russia for questioning.
