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Saaremaa Parish, also known as Saaremaa Municipality (Estonian: Saaremaa vald), is a municipality in Saare County in western Estonia. It is the largest municipality by land area and largest rural municipality – or parish – by population in Estonia. The administrative centre of the municipality is its only town Kuressaare.
Previously, in 2014, the municipalities of Kaarma, Kärla, and Lümanda had already merged, and initially wanted to use the name Saaremaa municipality for the merged municipality,[3] but later decided in favour of the name of Lääne-Saare municipality.[4][5]
In 2014 it became clear at a meeting of the heads of Saaremaa municipalities that other county municipalities would also not be against a merger,[6] and the respective merger committees began their work as early as 2015.[7] Although Pöide municipality did not initially join the merger agreement signed on 1 December 2016,[8] the Government of Estonia, based on the proposal of the regional committee, decided to forcibly merge Pöide municipality with the upcoming Saaremaa municipality.[9][10] As a result, the Pöide municipality council also decided to join the merger negotiations.[11]
Timeline of Saaremaa municipality mergers
1992–1999
1999–2014
2014–2017
2017–...
Government
The municipality is governed by the Saaremaa Municipality Council which consists of 31 members elected to four year terms via party list. The mayor and its cabinet is elected by the municipality council.
Saaremaa municipality is divided into thirteen (rural) districts – osavallad. The aim of the districts is to maintain local initiative and identity, to involve residents in deciding local issues and to represent local interests. The town of Kuressaare is a separate terriotorial unit, not being part of any district.
Service centres have been established in every district to provide and manage public services.[15]
