Ratas, Jüri
Ratas, Jüri,
1978–, Estonian political leader. A member of the Center party, a populist party with strong support among ethnic Russians, Ratas was mayor of Talinn (2005–7), before entering the Estonian parliament (2007–). In 2016 he became party chairman when Edgar Savisaar, the party's long-time leader who had forged links with Vladimir PutinPutin, Vladimir Vladimirovich, 1952–, Russian government official and political leader, b. Leningrad (now St. Petersburg). After graduating from the Leningrad State Univ.
..... Click the link for more information. 's United Russia party, chose not to seek reelection. In Nov., 2016, Ratas became prime minister of three-party coalition, marking the first time since the mid-1990s that Center had participated in a government; though one of the largest Estonian parties it had been excluded because of its perceived alignment with Russian interests.