Czech Pirate Party

Czech Pirate Party
Česká pirátská strana
Leader Ivan Bartoš
Deputy Leaders Olga Richterová
Jakub Michálek
Radek Holomčík
Mikuláš Peksa
Chamber of Deputies Leader Jakub Michálek
Founded 17 June 2009 (2009-06-17)
Headquarters Řehořova 943/19
130 00, Praha 3[1]
Newspaper Pirate Newspaper
Youth wing Young Pirates
Membership (2018) 734[2]
Ideology Pirate politics
Social liberalism[3]
Left-libertarianism[3]
Participatory democracy[4]
Pro-Europeanism[5][6]
Political position Centre[7][8] to
left-wing[9][10][11]
European affiliation
International affiliation Pirate Parties International
Colours      Black
Chamber of Deputies
22 / 200
Senate
1 / 81
European Parliament
0 / 21
Regional councils
5 / 675
Local councils
358 / 62,300
Party flag
Website
www.pirati.cz

The Czech Pirate Party (Czech: Česká pirátská strana) or Pirates (Czech: Piráti)[1] is a political party in the Czech Republic, founded in 2009. It is the third largest party in the Chamber of Deputies following the 2017 legislative election, with 22 out of 200 seats,[12] entering the Chamber of Deputies for the first time since its formation. The parliamentary party sits in opposition to Andrej Babiš' ruling cabinet, and party leader Ivan Bartoš serves as the chairman of the Committee on Public Administration and Regional Development.[13]

The party's program focuses on political transparency[14] and accountability, anti-corruption, e-government, public participation in democratic decision making, supporting small business, funding of local development, tax avoidance prevention and safeguarding of civil liberties. The party has also introduced proposals for policies and reforms for taxation, education, science, healthcare, environment, culture, industry and trade, agriculture, justice system and foreign relations.[15]

Positions and objectives

Political positions

For the 2017 Czech legislative election, the party's program focused on control of political power and government spending through transparency, accountability and anti-corruption measures, safeguarding of civil liberties and digital rights, introducing elements of participatory democracy by enabling law proposals by the public through petitions and simplification of state bureaucracy through e-government.[16]

The party supports a bank tax, the strengthening of the Czech National Bank's authority, and other measures to stop capital outflow and financial speculation to prevent financial crises and financial crime; and is against taxpayer-funded bank bailouts.[17] The party also proposes the establishment of a lobby register and a lobbying law.[18]

The Czech Pirate Party is generally pro-European and pro-Eurozone, while advocating major reforms in both institutions to address the perceived democratic deficit in the European Union. The Pirates propose that the Czech Republic should participate in the mainstream of the European integration and should participate in EU decision making, but should adopt the Euro only if specific conditions are fulfilled.[19] The party also supports Czech membership of NATO, but it is critical of aggression by NATO members and argues that any engagement of NATO forces outside of the territories of its member states should take place only if supported by a United Nations resolution.[20]

The party is affiliated with, and signed up to the manifesto of, the pan-European political movement Democracy in Europe Movement 2025 (DieM25).[21][10][9] The Pirates oppose the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP),[22] and support LGBT rights in the Czech Republic.[23]

The party is a member of Pirate Parties International and European Pirates (PPEU). Mikuláš Peksa is a board member of PPEU,[24] and Vojtěch Pikal was previousy a co-chairman of PPI in 2013 and 2014. The party was originally inspired by the Swedish Pirate Party,[25] which like most other Pirate parties was a single-issue party focusing on Internet freedom.[3] However the Czech Pirate Party has developed a broader political platform based on social liberalism and left-libertarianism.[3] In a 2016 analysis of voters' perception of political parties, the Czech Pirate Party was identified as centrist (having both right wing and left wing voters) and "liberal" (as opposed to "conservative").[26]

2017 electoral platform

The party's four main campaign policies in the run-up to the 2017 elections were:[15]

Furthermore, the Pirates announced policies on transport and logistics, finance, informatics, culture, international relations, local development, defence, labour and social issues, industry and trade, justice, interior policy and transparent governance, education and science, healthcare, agriculture and the environment.[15]

History

Formation

On 27 May 2009 an application was submitted to the Ministry of the Interior for registration of the party. On 17 June, the party was registered under the code MV-39553-7/VS-2009.[27] Within the first two days of the launch of their website in April, 1,800 people had signed an online petition to register the party.[28] Czech law requires a paper petition with 1,000 signatures for registration. In the student elections, the Pirate Party received 7.7% of the vote.[29]

On 28 June 2009 the party held a constitutive forum in Průhonice, near Prague, where the board was elected and main elements of the program were declared. Kamil Horký was elected as chairman.

At the end of October 2009 in Albrechtice nad Orlicí, the General Assembly (GA) met for the first time, to complete statutes and elect a new board, commission and committee. Ivan Bartoš became party chairman.

The PPI Conference

In April 2012, the party organised a conference of the Pirate Parties International (PPI) in Prague. More than 200 representatives of Pirate parties from 27 countries attended, including the founder of the Pirate movement, Rick Falkvinge; writer Cory Doctorow; and Swedish MEP Amelia Andersdotter. The Pirate parties of Europe made an agreement to co-operate in the 2014 European parliament elections.

Election results

Election history

The party participated in the general election in May 2010,[30] and received 0.8% of the vote.[31]

In December 2010, the party launched its own national whistle-blowing site similar to WikiLeaks, called PirateLeaks.[32] The site was intended as a primary source for journalists, dedicated to evidence of corruption in the Czech government and public administration documents which should be publicly available according to law 106/1999 Sb. (Free Access to Information Act) but which the authorities refused to disclose without a formal request defined by the law.

Standing in a local senate election on 18–19 March 2011 in Kladno, they obtained 0.75% of the vote.[33]

In the Czech Senate election, 2012, the Czech Pirate Party nominated three candidates; one of them was a co-nomination with two other parties. This candidate, the well-known whistleblower Libor Michálek, was elected as Senator in the second round of voting, with the Czech Pirate Party becoming a parliamentary party for the first time.

In local elections in 2014 the party entered many local assemblies, including a clear majority in Mariánské Lázně,[34] which resulted in Vojtech Franta being elected as the party's first mayor.[35][36]

Chamber of Deputies

The party participated in the elections to the Chamber of Deputies 2010, gaining 42.323 votes (0,80%) and finishing in 11th place.

Year Leader Vote Vote % Seats ± Place Notes Government?
2010 Ivan Bartoš 42,323 0.8
0 / 200
 New 11th Extra-parliamentary
2013 Ivan Bartoš 132,417 2.66
0 / 200
 Steady 0 9th Received state contribution Extra-parliamentary
2017 Ivan Bartoš 546,393 10.79
22 / 200
 Increase 22 3rd Opposition

Senate

Whistleblower Libor Michálek was elected Senator in the 2012 election.
Election Candidates First round Second round Seats Total Seats Notes
Votes % Runners-up Place Votes % Place
201011,1310.02
0 / 27
17th 
0 / 27
0 / 81
201112050.75
0 / 1
8th 
0 / 1
0 / 81
By-election in Kladno district.
201237,9470.81
1 / 27
15th11,8072.306th
1 / 27
1 / 81
201413591.56
0 / 1
9th 
0 / 1
1 / 81
By-election in Zlín dstrict.
201445,4540.53
0 / 27
19th 
0 / 27
1 / 81
201647,3520.83
0 / 27
17th 
0 / 27
1 / 81
201812,40610.59
0 / 1
4th 
0 / 1
1 / 81
By-election in Trutnov district.
2018 1 1,559 9.15
0 / 1
 5th  
0 / 1
1 / 81
 By-election in Zlín district.
20181263,1325.80
3 / 27
8th18,0484.319th
1 / 27
1 / 81

Local election

Year Vote Vote % Place Seats
2010 189,360 0.21
3 / 62,178
2014 1,321,908 1.23 10th
21 / 62,300
2018 8,410,203 7.5% 3rd
262 / 62,300

Regional election

Year Vote Vote % Seats +/- Place Notes
2012 57,805 2.19
0 / 675
 New 29th
2016 44,070 Decrease 1.74 Decrease
5 / 675
 Increase 5 24th Joint list with Greens

Prague municipal elections

Year Leader Vote Vote % Seats +/− Place Position
2010 32,901 0.9
0 / 65
 Increase7 2nd Opposition
2014 Jakub Michálek 1,101,081 5.3
4 / 65
 Increase4 7th Opposition
2018 Zdeněk hřib 4,197,578 17.1
13 / 65
 Increase8 2nd

European Parliament

Year European party Vote Vote % Seats +/-
2014 PPEU 72,514 4.78
0 / 21
 New

The Board

Chairman Ivan Bartoš
Vice chairwoman Olga Richterová

Chairpersons

Order Name Period
1. Kamil Horký 2009
2. Ivan Bartoš 2009 - 2013
3. Jakub Michálek 2013
4. Ivan Bartoš 2013 - 2014
5. Jana Michailidu 2014
6. Lukáš Černohorský 2014 - 2016
5. Ivan Bartoš 2016–present

Vice chairpersons

Position Name
1st Vice chairwoman Olga Richterová
2nd Vice chairman Radek Holomčík
3rd Vice chairman Jakub Michálek
4th Vice chairman Mikuláš Peksa

Former vice chairpersons: Jakub Michálek, Lenka Wagnerová, Mikuláš Ferjenčík, Marcel Kolaja, Michal Havránek, Jana Michailidu, Tomáš Vymazal, Dominika Michailidu, Václav Fořtík, Ivo Vašíček, Martin Brož.

References

  1. 1 2 "Kontakt" (in Czech). Česká pirátská strana.
  2. ↑ "Počty členů ve stranách: nové tváře hlásí ANO, Piráti i KSČM. ČSSD ztratila po volbách 1500 lidí". iROZHLAS (in Czech). Retrieved 18 August 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Pavel Maškarinec. The Czech Pirate Party in the 2010 and 2013 Parliamentary Elections and the 2014 European Parliament Elections: Spatial Analysis of Voter Support. Slovak Journal of Political Sciences, Volume 17, 2017, No. 1. Walter de Gruyter.
  4. ↑ "Stanovy České pirátské strany" (in Czech). Česká pirátská strana. 7 September 2013. Retrieved 2013-09-17.
  5. ↑ strana, Česká pirátská. "Mezinárodní vztahy". www.pirati.cz.
  6. ↑ "In the Czech Republic, almost everyone ran against the system". The Economist.
  7. ↑ "Předsedou Pirátské strany byl zvolen Ivan Bartoš". Lidové Noviny. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
  8. ↑ Politická mapa podle čtenářů: Úsvit a ANO neuchopitelní, o KSČM máte jasno. Mladá fronta DNES. 13 September, 2016.
  9. 1 2 "Jaká má být Evropa? Přečtěte si manifest Janise Varufakise, k němuž se přihlásili Piráti". Lidovky.cz. 27 October 2017. Retrieved 12 November 2017.
  10. 1 2 "Piráti koketují s radikální levicí, přihlásili se k hnutí řeckého marxisty Varufakise". Lidovky.cz. 27 October 2017. Retrieved 12 November 2017.
  11. ↑ "Špičky Pirátů v síti evropských marxistů". lidovenoviny.cz. 27 October 2017. Retrieved 12 November 2017.
  12. ↑ Czech election: Billionaire Babis wins by large margin. BBC News. Published on October 22, 2017.
  13. ↑ PhDr. Ivan Bartos, Ph.D. psp.cz.
  14. ↑ Nordsieck, Wolfram (2017). "Czechia". Parties and Elections in Europe.
  15. 1 2 3 Pirate Party official program. (in Czech)
  16. ↑ Piráti představili program. Do voleb jdou se sloganem ‚Všichni nekradou‘. Lidové noviny. Published on September 7, 2017.
  17. ↑ Banky, které se postarají samy o sebe. pirati.cz.
  18. ↑ Karolína Sadílková. Piráti: Zákon o lobbingu a registr lobbistů zpřehlední legislativní proces a zabrání plýtvání (Czech). 20.02.2018.
  19. ↑ Euro 2024 – Roadmapa
  20. ↑ Stanovisko Pirátů ke kolektivní obraně v rámci EU a NATO (Czech).
  21. ↑ "Připojení se k manifestu DiEM25 - Pirati.CZ". Pirati.CZ (in Czech). Retrieved 12 November 2017.
  22. ↑ ČTK, iDNES.cz. Desítky tisíc Němců vyšly do ulic. Odmítají smlouvy EU s Kanadou a USA. Mladá fronta DNES. Published on 17 September 2017.
  23. ↑ Petra Dvořáková. Piráti milují. Pirátské vlajky tradičně na Prague Pride. piratskelisty.cz. Published on 17 August 2016.
  24. ↑ "European Pirate Party - Board". Retrieved 8 June 2016.
  25. ↑ Poslanecký klub České pirátské strany vznikl v 8. období 22. října 2017. psp.cz.
  26. ↑ Politická mapa podle čtenářů: Úsvit a ANO neuchopitelní, o KSČM máte jasno. Mladá fronta DNES. 13 September, 2016.
  27. ↑ Fišer, Miloslav (22 June 2009). "Česká pirátská strana má povolení ministerstva a chce do parlamentu". Novinky.cz (in Czech).
  28. ↑ Votrubová, Andrea (21 April 2009). "Čeští internetoví piráti zakládají politickou stranu". iDnes.cz (in Czech).
  29. ↑ "Tschechien: Jugend vereint gegen Linksparteien". Wiener Zeitung. 21 May 2010. Archived from the original on 6 June 2011.
  30. ↑ "Czech Interior Ministry registers Czech Pirate Party". ČeskéNoviny.cz. Czech News Agency. 22 June 2009.
  31. ↑ "Election to the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic held on 28 – 29 May 2010". Czech Statistical Office. 2010-05-30. Retrieved 2010-05-30.
  32. ↑ "Czech Pirate Party launches new whistleblowing site". Deutsche Welle. 2010-12-29. Archived from the original on 2011-06-29. Retrieved 2011-03-14.
  33. ↑ http://wiki.pp-international.net/Main_Page PPI wiki
  34. ↑ Pirates to Enter Several Local Czech Parliaments, PirateTimes, 2014-10-11
  35. ↑ První starosta z Pirátů: Chceme Mariánské Lázně omladit [The first Pirate mayor: We want to rejuvenate Marianske Lazne], Ceskatelevize, 2014-11-12
  36. ↑ Mayor of Mariánské Lázně, City of Mariánské Lázně, 2014-11-13
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