Peterson is one of the leading members of the Koos/Vmeste movement and ran as a candidate in the 2023 Riigikogu, collecting 3,969 votes. He has previously made statements in favor of Russia's current policies and visited occupied regions of Ukraine in March 2023.

Peterson was charged with treason in March 2023, and his trial is currently being processed by the court. The next hearing will take place on September 11. Peterson has already delivered his final statement, but those of his co-defendants, Dmitri Roots and Andrei Andronov, are still ongoing.

If convicted, Peterson could be looking at a prison sentence of 6-20 years.

Even if he is found guilty, voters will still be able to vote for him on October 19. Under Estonian law, all citizens can stand in elections as long as there is no final conviction and they are not serving a prison sentence.

After the end of the trial, there are 30 days to appeal the verdict, which means the ruling may not be in effect on election day. If Peterson, Roots, Andronov, or the prosecutor appeals the court's decision, the process could take months.

Peterson's defense attorney, Stella Veber, said since none of the three defendants has pleaded guilty, it is likely one of them will appeal a guilty verdict.

"It seems the sun of Estonian democratic due process is still shining on Aivo Peterson," said attorney-at-law Paul Keres, an expert in criminal law.

Koos party board member Julia Smoli said Peterson plans to run in Tallinn, where he is officially registered as living.

"Our main efforts are focused on Lasnamäe, where we have the strongest support. In addition, we will also present candidates in Haabersti, Põhja-Tallinn, and Mustamäe, where a significant portion of our supporters also live. We will decide exactly which district Aivo Peterson will run in at the time of submitting the paperwork," Smoli said.

Peterson will need to receive around 2,970 votes to be elected on a personal mandate in Lasnamäe and 2,300 in Haabersti under local election rules.

If this threshold were met, more problems would arise. Arne Koitmäe from the election service explained that if a member of the city council is absent from sessions for three consecutive months, their mandate is automatically suspended.

In that case, Peterson would be replaced by an alternate. If Koos fails to cross the 5 percent electoral threshold in Tallinn, the alternate would come from the party that was next in line for an additional seat on the council, Koitmäe explained.

ERR tried to speak to Peterson – who is currently in prison – but Smoli said he declined to comment.

Koos hopes for success in Kohtla-Järve and Narva

Koos is planning to run in areas where it has strong support and good ratings, and in places where support is lower but candidates are motivated, Smoli said.

In addition to Tallinn, the party will also field candidates in Maardu, Tartu, Pärnu, Kohtla-Järve, Jõhvi, Sillamäe, Narva-Jõesuu, Saku Municipality, and Saue Municipality. Smoli is the party's top candidate in Maardu.

Margus Liiva, who coordinates the party's activities in Ida-Viru County, said the best results are expected in Kohtla-Järve and Narva. Liiva is the party's top candidate in Kohtla-Järve.

He said approximately 25 people plan to run on the party list in Kohtla-Järve, and six or seven in Jõhvi. The Kohtla-Järve candidate list does not include any well-known names. Liiva said they are ordinary residents.

Speaking about the party's election platform, he said there are so many problems in Kohtla-Järve that you could make a film about them. He highlighted social issues and pensioners. However, Liiva did not want to give any more details.

"Unfortunately, I cannot say. I'm afraid it will all end up in the media and our opponents might steal our ideas," he said.

25 candidates in Narva

Liiva said it has not been easy to find people willing to run under the party's banner, as the media keeps emphasizing that the party is pro-Kremlin. However, he said Peterson's trial has eased the process as he has many sympathizers.

"Treason has not been proven, the trial is already in its third year, and there is still no evidence. People see that the court keeps twisting and twisting," Liiva said.

In Narva, the party's candidate list is coordinated by board member Eduard Fedotov, who said the list currently includes about 25 people. Candidate registration closes on September 9.

Fedotov said it is still unclear who will be the party's top candidate in the border city. Liiva said Fedotov is supposed to run in Tallinn. Koos is not putting forward a separate mayoral candidate in Narva.

"We definitely will not resort to populism and put up a mayoral candidate, since these are our first elections. You could say this is a kind of training ground for our candidates. Our party does not have statesmen or officials who have participated in this kind of endeavor before. So we are not naming anyone as a mayoral candidate. Naturally, we hope for a good result, especially in Narva, but we have not put forward a specific candidate," Fedotov said.

Editor: They're a group capable of surprises

Editor-in-chief of Põhjarannik newspaper Erik Gamzejev, which covers developments in Lääne and Ida-Viru counties, said Koos may pass the electoral threshold in Kohtla-Järve, Narva, and Sillamäe.

He said Koos is a political force that may not appear popular in polling, but if you look at actual voter behavior in the most recent Riigikogu and European Parliament elections, they received several dozen percent in these cities.

"The electorate is somewhat similar to that of local elections. Russian citizens could not vote then, only Estonian citizens could, but now people with gray passports will also be able to vote. Koos likely has a strong base of support among them," said Gamzejev.

The editor said the party's main challenge is how many recognizable names they can get on their lists in these areas. In both the European Parliament and Riigikogu elections, it was Aivo Peterson who drew voters in Ida-Viru County, he said. But this time he will stand in Tallinn.

"If they cannot get well-known people on board, it will be difficult to predict major success for them," he said.

Gamzejev said that at least in Kohtla-Järve, the party appears to have a certain level of capability. For example, the party has opened an office in downtown Kohtla-Järve and branded it with logos.

In July, according to the editor-in-chief, Koos held a public event in Ida-Viru County "in defense of traditional families" and against LGBT rights. A few dozen people were present, along with passersby. Margus Liiva is also active on TikTok.

"They are a group capable of surprises. They should not be underestimated too much, even if right now it may seem like they are not capable of running a serious campaign," said Gamzejev.

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