The new party

The Conservative Club and Farmers' Assembly established a new political party, the National Conservative Party-Farmers Assembly, on 4 August. Conservative Club Chairman Mart Helme, a historian and former ambassador to Moscow, was elected the new party's chairman. Its program calls for a more democratic election system by introducing the direct election of the president and parliamentary elections based on majority. The party favors joining the European Union only on equal terms, without rushing the accession. The new party has approximately 1,700 members and intends to participate in local elections in October.