		<div class="wpcnt">
			<div class="wpa">
				<span class="wpa-about">Advertisements</span>
				<div class="u top_amp">
							<amp-ad width="300" height="265"
		 type="pubmine"
		 data-siteid="111265417"
		 data-section="2">
		</amp-ad>
				</div>
			</div>
		</div><p><a href="http://londonglossy.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/estonia-holds-first-posteuro-poll.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-full" title="Estonia is holding its first election as a eurozone member" src="http://londonglossy.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/min-estonia-holds-first-posteuro-poll.jpg" alt="Estonia is holding its first election as a eurozone member"/></a></p>
<p>Estonia is holding its first election as a eurozone member, with the centre-right government hoping for an unprecedented second term for steering one of Europe&#8217;s most depressed economies back to growth.</p>
<p>The Baltic country of 1.3 million became the 17th nation to adopt the euro on January 1 after enduring its deepest recession since regaining independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.</p>
<p>Economic output plunged a staggering 14% in 2009, leaving one in five workers without a job. Fuelled by strong exports, growth has returned and the jobless rate has dropped, but at 14% it is still among the highest in the European Union.</p>
<p>Unlike Irish voters, who punished their government last month for their own boom-to-bust experience, Estonians appear to be have retained confidence in the two-party coalition of prime minister Andrus Ansip.</p>
<p>Recent polls suggest his centre-right Reform Party and its more conservative partner, known by its Estonian initials IRL, could win more than half of the votes and secure a majority in the 101-seat parliament. Currently they govern in a minority with 50 seats.</p>
<p>That would be a first in Estonia, where no government before Mr Ansip&#8217;s has served a full term since Western-style democracy was introduced following five decades of Soviet occupation.</p>
<p>&#8220;This has brought us political stability,&#8221; Mr Ansip, 54, told reporters on Thursday.</p>
<p>Mr Ansip has won approval both in European capitals and at home for his handling of the economic crisis, which ended years of roaring growth as a housing bubble popped and the global financial meltdown sapped all hopes of a quick recovery. His government introduced tough austerity measures to bring down the deficit &#8211; it is now among the lowest in the 27-nation EU &#8211; and keep Estonia&#8217;s euro hopes on track.</p>
<p>The eurozone entry, capping a two-decade-long effort of closer integration with the West, was a strong boost for the government, even though it occurred in the midst of a European debt crisis.</p>
<p>The most likely outcome is that Mr Ansip&#8217;s Reform Party and IRL remain in power, possibly with the support of the Social Democrats, the only centre-right party that wants to scrap Estonia&#8217;s flat-tax system for progressive taxation.</p>
			<div style="padding-bottom:15px;" class="wordads-tag" data-slot-type="belowpost">
				<div id="atatags-dynamic-belowpost-68ed5bd7d5b12">
					<script type="text/javascript">
						window.getAdSnippetCallback = function () {
							if ( false === ( window.isWatlV1 ?? false ) ) {
								// Use Aditude scripts.
								window.tudeMappings = window.tudeMappings || [];
								window.tudeMappings.push( {
									divId: 'atatags-dynamic-belowpost-68ed5bd7d5b12',
									format: 'belowpost',
								} );
							}
						}

						if ( document.readyState === 'loading' ) {
							document.addEventListener( 'DOMContentLoaded', window.getAdSnippetCallback );
						} else {
							window.getAdSnippetCallback();
						}
					</script>
				</div>
			</div>
Discover more from London Glossy Post
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
