The Tartu Social Democrats will release the list of candidates for the new council on Saturday. Lemmit Kaplinski’s name is not on this list. Kaplinski is a former chairman of the city council and the current deputy mayor. Kaplinski is also stepping down as the regional leader of the Social Democrats in Tartu.
Kaplinski told the newspaper that he is tired of being under constant pressure. He said: "I got tired of the pressure to always be in the spotlight and take positions. I came to the conclusion that it’s not worth it to fight against the tide."
He added that after the local elections, the election of the new board and regional leader will take place. Kaplinski believes that those who have worked hard in the campaign and achieved results will have the opportunity to set new goals. He said: "I believe the region will find a new leader."
Kaplinski emphasized that he has no dispute with the Social Democrats in Tartu. He also spoke about larger problems in the world. Kaplinski said: "If we look at what has happened in the world in the last 10-15 years, we see that social democracy has played a dangerous game. Germany is an example of this."
He added that Germany violated the laws of physics for political reasons. This led to energy problems. Kaplinski said: "The only thing that saved us was cheap Russian gas and oil. That is the cause of the great war in the 21st century."
Kaplinski continued: "Every wind turbine we build does Putin a favor. The world will depend on fossil fuels for a long time. They cannot simply be replaced by wind or solar energy. It is economically impossible."