Estonia's governing pro-Nato Reform party faces test in forming coalition after elections

Estonia's governing pro-Nato Reform party has topped parliamentary elections, fought amid concerns over a militarily resurgent Russia, but analysts warned that forging a coalition would be challenging.

President Toomas Hendrik Ilves is expected to ask Reform chief, outgoing Prime Minister Taavi Roivas, to build a coalition on the basis of the 30 seats his party won in the 101-member parliament.

The centrist Reform party lost three seats, according to the official results on Sunday's election.

Meanwhile the opposition pro-Kremlin Centre party was up one seat to 27, and the outgoing Social Democrat junior coalition partners down four to 15.

"Reform will be able to form a government ... (but) coalition talks might be complicated," said leading Estonian political commentator Ahto Lobjakas, noting increased volatility with six parties now in parliament, up from the previous four.

The parliamentary newcomers are a free-market liberal party and an anti-immigration conservative party, who secured 15 seats between them. "In terms of Estonia's pro-Western orientation, commitment to EU, Nato, all this will remain and possibly become more pronounced," he added, describing the entry of the two newcomers as a swing to the right.