3. The Role of Party Members in Estonia

This chapter examines the role of party members in Estonia. Surveys and interviews were used to gather information about the roles of members in the Reform Party and the Estonian Social Democrats. Using this data, the sub-hypotheses on the effect of electoral systems on party membership developed in Chap. 2 are tested. It is found that Estonian party members are valued as ambassadors in the community, as grassroots campaigners and for expanding the recruiting pool for candidates, especially at the municipal level. The ‘ambassadorial’ role of members was valued by individual candidates as a way to compete against their co-partisans while avoiding open competition. Municipal elections also appeared to stimulate organisational development.