Pirate Parties around the world have existed for about a decade, however, many have not made much headway, perhaps, with the exception of those in Iceland who hold 10 seats in the national parliament. Those Icelandic Pirates are now joined by their counterparts in Czechia, also commonly known as the Czech Republic.
Much like Iceland, Czechia also has a small population, just 10 million people. The Pirate Party managed to get 10.76% of the vote, giving them 22 seats in the national parliament, up from none, making them the third largest party in the country. The parliament has a total of 200 seats which can be won.
For these elections, the party’s programme focused on the simplification of state bureaucracy through e-government, control of political power and government spending through transparency, accountability and anti-corruption measures, safeguarding of civil liberties on the internet, digital rights, a ban on internet censorship, and the introduction of elements of direct democracy by enabling law proposals by the public through petitions.
The Pirate Party managed to sway many people to vote for them in the capital, Prague, becoming the largest party in several districts with results of up to 18% of the votes. The party has declined to enter into coalition talks with the winners of the election, ANO 2011, and expect to become the leaders of the opposition.
Source: Pirate Times | Image via Piratpartiet
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