Tallinn's city government has collapsed

Tallinn's city government has collapsed after a key coalition partner, the Reform Party, said it was withdrawing its support—a move with implications for the national government. The center-right group cited disputes over spending, with the fiscally conservative Reform Party advocating tough budgetary restraints and opposing moves by the city to secure large construction loans. The Reform Party was one of three core parties in the city government, which also included Pro Patria and the Moderates; it also relied on the support of several small, Russian-dominated parties. The unlikely coalition of right- and left-wing groups had a razor thin majority on the Tallinn city council, with the opposition Center Party often nipping at its heels, trying to bring it down. The Reform Party, Pro Patria and the Moderates also make up the national government and the Reform Party's withdrawal from the Tallinn administration is likely to cause severe strains among the three. The Reform Party said later Thursday that it would try to form a new city government with the leftist opposition Center Party. Pro Patria and the Moderates have long considered the Center Party their arch political enemy.