The article traces the origins of party financing reform in Estonia to 2014, when the then-initiative group of the Free Party collected nearly 4,000 signatures nationwide to call for a reduction in party funding. This movement marked one of the first significant public initiatives in Estonia following the legal establishment of collective petitions. However, despite its importance for the functioning of democracy in Estonia, the proposal did not gain support from any mainstream party and remained a small, initial step towards breaking the cycle of entrenched party politics known as the cartel.

Since then, there have been occasional discussions in the Parliament regarding party financing and electoral reforms, but these have largely been tinged with populism. The most recent proposal from the Social Democrats aims to limit individual donations to political parties to €100,000 per person. Such changes are often perceived as politically motivated attempts to undermine competitors rather than genuine reforms intended to enhance transparency and democracy.

The article concludes that while there are moments of potential reform in party financing, they often fail to address the underlying issues and are instead used as tools for partisan gain. True reform requires a commitment to democratic principles, rather than just temporary fixes that benefit established parties.