Estonian Left Party was a left socialist political party

Political party

A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...

 in Estonia

Estonia

Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...

.

History

In June 1988 Communist Party of Estonia

Communist Party of Estonia

Communist Party of Estonia was a political party in Estonia.EKP was formed November 5, 1920, as the Central Committee of the Estonian Sections of the Russian Communist Party was separated from its mother party. During the first half of 1920s the hopes to an immediate world revolution were still...

 (EKP), i.e. the Estonian branch of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union

Communist Party of the Soviet Union

The Communist Party of the Soviet Union was the only legal, ruling political party in the Soviet Union and one of the largest communist organizations in the world...

, chief Karl Vaino

Karl Vaino

Karl Vaino is a former Estonian SSR politician. 1978–1988 he was the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Estonia.-References:...

 was replaced by the reform-minded Soviet Ambassador to Nicaragua

Nicaragua

Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...

 Vaino Väljas

Vaino Väljas

Vaino Väljas is a former Soviet politician. He was the Chairman of the 6th Supreme Soviet of the Estonian SSR from 18 April 1963 to 19 March 1967, first secretary of communist party of Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic from 16 June 1988 to April 1990 and chairman of the party from April 1990 to...

, the former ideological secretary of the EKP. Some of the Estonian members declared that they were fighting for Estonian national interests and tried to contribute to the solving of Estonian problems.

• 1990 was registered the independent Estonian Communist Party (EKP)
• 1992 the congress of EKP renamed party to the Estonian Democratic Labour Party (EDTP).
• July 1995 EDLP joined with New European Left Forum
• 1997 the party was renamed the Estonian Social Democratic Labour Party (ESDTP).
• 2004 ESDTP is a founding member of European Left party.
• December 2004 Estonian Social Democratic Labour Party changed the name to Estonian Left Party (EVP).

According to the statutes of party the party congress elects the Party Chairman and Executive board as well as nominates a consultative Central Council representing all regional organizations. Local policies are developed by local organizations, while central bodies formulate national policies.

EVP lost representatives in parliament

Riigikogu

The Riigikogu is the unicameral parliament of Estonia. All important state-related questions pass through the Riigikogu...

 on the 2003

Estonian parliamentary election, 2003

The 2003 Estonian parliamentary election was held in Estonia on 2 March 2003 to elect the members of the Riigikogu . Two opposing parties won the most seats, with both the Centre Party and Res Publica Party winning 28 seats...

 elections when they got 2,059 votes (0,4%). In 2007 election, it fell further to 0,1% and again got no seats.

The party has been chaired by:

• Vaino Väljas
  Vaino Väljas
  Vaino Väljas is a former Soviet politician. He was the Chairman of the 6th Supreme Soviet of the Estonian SSR from 18 April 1963 to 19 March 1967, first secretary of communist party of Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic from 16 June 1988 to April 1990 and chairman of the party from April 1990 to...
  
   (1992-1995)
• Hillar Eller (1995-1996)
• Tiit Toomsalu (1996-2004)
• Sirje Kingsepp
  Sirje Kingsepp
  Sirje Kingsepp is a former reality TV show Baar participant also known as Baari-Sirje and a former chairperson of the Estonian Left Party...
  
   (2004-2007)

On 28 June 2008, the Estonian Left Party and the Constitution Party

Constitution Party (Estonia)

The Constitution Party , known until 11 February 2006 as the Estonian United People's Party , was a political party in Estonia, mainly supported by the Russian minority.The party held 6 seats in the Riigikogu from 1999 to 2003...

 merged to form the Estonian United Left Party

Estonian United Left Party

The Estonian United Left Party is a political party in Estonia.-History:In June 1988 Communist Party of Estonia , i.e. the Estonian branch of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, chief Karl Vaino was replaced by the reform-minded Soviet Ambassador to Nicaragua Vaino Väljas, the former...

 (Eestimaa Ühendatud Vasakpartei).

In a privacy rights legal dispute between Sirje Kingsepp

Sirje Kingsepp

Sirje Kingsepp is a former reality TV show Baar participant also known as Baari-Sirje and a former chairperson of the Estonian Left Party...

 and Eesti Päevaleht

Eesti Päevaleht

Eesti Päevaleht is a major daily Estonian newspaper, from the same publishers as the weekly Eesti Ekspress. It has a daily circulation of around 36,000....

, the party was deemed "completely marginal" in Estonia's public life.