Erik Gamzejev: Narva's dual power has been created by voter apathy

Narva municipal politics offers residents more entertainment than real representation. Local people sense that their daily lives are shaped by people other than city officials. Erik Gamzejev analyses how voter passivity has led to the emergence of dual power.

Narva municipal politics has a peculiar reputation – it offers more entertainment than real representation. The current power struggle in the city reminds many observers more of a county fair or a sandbox game than serious politics, writes Erik Gamzejev in his daily commentary on Vikerradio.

Gamzejev points out that Narva residents clearly perceive a paradox: their daily lives are shaped by people other than the official city leaders. Heads of local institutions, chairpersons of gardening associations and other public figures influence an ordinary person's life far more than the city council. This is one of the main reasons why many Narva residents have become politically apathetic over the years.

This apathy, however, does not come without consequences. When voters do not actively participate in shaping local government, that vacuum is filled by politicians who know how to play by the system's rules – not necessarily those who could genuinely move the city forward. This is how a situation has arisen where Narva is effectively ruled by dual power that nobody particularly legitimises.

Gamzejev emphasises that the solution to the problem does not lie solely in the hands of politicians. A rise in civic activism and greater participation in local elections would be the first step towards making city leaders feel truly accountable to voters. As long as Narva residents watch municipal politics as bystanders, the game will continue in the same way.