Estonia's Reform Party, headed by Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, has secured first place in Sunday’s parliamentary election, taking approximately 31.4% of the vote.

Nine political parties in all fielded candidates for Estonia’s 101-seat parliament or Riigikogu. Over 900,000 people were eligible to vote in the general election, and nearly half voted in advance.

Preliminary results suggest that six parties passed the 5% threshold required to become a part of parliament including newcomer Eesti 200, a liberal centrist party. Voter turnout was reportedly 63.7%.

With 99% of votes counted EKRE has come in second place with 16.1% while the Centre Party, traditionally favoured by Estonia’s sizable ethnic-Russian minority has secured 15%.

The initial results mean the Reform Party is in a remarkably strong position to take a leading role in forming Estonia's next government; its support translates into 37 seats in the legislature. But it will need junior partners to form a coalition with a comfortable majority to govern. 

“This result, which is not final yet, will give us a strong mandate to put together a good government,” Kallas told her party colleagues and jubilant supporters at a hotel in the capital, Tallinn.

“I think that with such a strong mandate, the [aid to Ukraine] will not change because other parties, except the Conservative People's Party of Estonia (EKRE) and maybe Centre, have chosen the same line,” she said.

"We have to do major reforms [during the new term] regarding green transition for example. We also have to invest in our security. Our aggressive neighbour has not vanished and will not vanish, so we have to work with that."