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Pirate Party Germany

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Pirate Party Germany
Piratenpartei Deutschland
LeaderBernd Schlömer
Founded10 September 2006
HeadquartersBerlin
Youth wingJunge Piraten
Membership29.800
IdeologyFreedom of information
Privacy
Copyright reform
Social-liberalism
International affiliationPirate Parties International
ColoursOrange/Black
Seats in the Bundestag
0 / 620
Seats in the Regional Parliaments
25 / 1,834
Seats in the European Parliament
0 / 99
Website
piratenpartei.de

The Pirate Party Germany (German: Piratenpartei Deutschland), short - Pirates (German: Piraten), is a German political party founded in September 2006. It states general agreement with the Swedish Piratpartiet[1][2] as a party of the information society, it is part of the international movement of pirate parties and is also a member of the Pirate Parties International. Since 2011 the party has succeeded in attaining a high enough vote share to enter four German state parliaments, (Berlin, North Rhine-Westphalia, Saarland and Schleswig-Holstein)[3]

According to political theorist Oskar Niedermayer, the party sees itself as part of an international movement to shape with their term of "digital revolution" which is a circumscription for the transition into information society. With their focus on freedom in the net and their fight against government regulations of this sphere, they hit the nerve especially of the younger generation. Even if the network policy is the core identity of the party, it is now more than just a advocacy party of "digital natives" and characterizes itself as a social-liberal-progressive.[4]

Former federal chairman Sebastian Nerz sees the party as social-liberal party of fundamental rights which among other things wants to advocate for political transparency.[5] [6]

Party Platform

The party supports the preservation of current civil rights in telephony and on the Internet; in particular, it opposes the European data retention policies.

The party favors the civil right to information privacy and reforms of copyright, education, genetic patents and drug policy.

It promotes in particular an enhanced transparency of government by implementing open source governance and providing for APIs to allow for electronic inspection and monitoring of government operations by the citizen.[7]

History

Development of membership
(dated: 12 March 2011)

The party was founded on 10 September 2006. The party leader has been Bernd Schlömer since 28 April 2012.[8] Previous leaders were Sebastian Nerz, Dirk Hillbrecht, Christof Leng, and Jens Seipenbusch.

In February 2009, the village spokesperson of Hohenstein and as such city councillor in Strausberg Jens Knoblich joined the Pirate Party Germany.[9] In June 2009, Bundestag member Jörg Tauss left the SPD and joined the Pirate Party[10] after the Zugangserschwerungsgesetz was passed, but left the Pirate Party in 2010 when he was convicted for possession of child pornography.[11] In late August 2009, Herbert Rusche, one of the founding members of the German Green Party and, in the 1980s, the first openly homosexual member of parliament in Germany, joined the Pirate Party.[12][13] As of May 2012, the party had over 29,000 members.[14]

Election results

2009 German Federal election

On 27 September 2009, the Pirates received 2.0% (845,904 votes) in the 2009 German federal election, thus not securing any seats in the Bundestag. However, this was still the best result among parties that did not meet the 5% threshhold. Among first-time male voters, the party received 13%.[15]

On account of the election results in 2009 the party fulfils the conditions for receiving public allowances. For 2009, it received €31,504.68 (the same amount as it received from private contributions) which was exclusively due to the Pirates state associations Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein. The calculation was made based on the total receipts of the party in 2008. The possible upper limit of the public allowance matching for the party is a rate of €840,554.51.[16]

2009 European Parliament election

Election results in the 2009 European Parliament election

It received 229,117 votes in the 2009 European Parliament election, which was 0.9%, but not enough (at least 5%) for a seat.[17][18]

German State and Regional elections

On 30 August 2009, the Pirates received 1.9% in the 2009 Saxony state election. On the same day, the party also received one seat in each council in the local elections of Münster and Aachen, although candidates of the party ran for office only in some constituencies of both cities.[19]

Support for The Pirates differs somewhat between States. The party received 1.8% in the 2009 Schleswig-Holstein state election and 1.5% in the 2010 North Rhine-Westphalia state election (though without securing seats[20][21]), but only 0.5% in the 2009 Hesse state election and did not participate in the 2009 Brandenburg and Saarland state elections.

The party received 2.1% in the 2011 Hamburg state elections, though it was not yet enough to gain seats in the State parliament. In the Baden-Württemberg state election, 2011 the Pirate party was able to repeat this result. In the Saxony-Anhalt state election, 2011 they received 1.4% or 13,828 votes; in the Rhineland-Palatinate state election, 2011 they achieved 1.6% of the votes.

In the 2011 Berlin state election, with 8.9 % of the votes[22] the Pirates managed for the first time to overcome the 5 % threshold and to win seats (numbering 15 out of 141 seats in the Abgeordnetenhaus) in a German state parliament.[23] This was quite a surprise for them, since they only had 15 candidates on the ballot. In response to their election, however, Mayor Klaus Wowereit criticized their lack of diversity, most notably the lack of women in the party. [24]

In March 2012 the Pirates received 7.4% of the vote[25] and thus won 4 seats[26] in the Landtag of Saarland.

Subsequent 2012 polls have shown an increase in popularity in the Party.[27][28][29] In May 2012, they won 8.3% of the vote in Schleswig-Holstein, which was sufficient to enter the state parliament.[30]

References

  1. ^ Steinke, Peter (19 December 2008), "Wahlleiter lässt kleine Parteien zu: Freie Fahrt für die Piraten", Frankfurter Rundschau Template:De icon.
  2. ^ Hauck, Mirjam (17 September 2009), "Razzia wegen Bundestrojaner: Bedingt abhörbereit", Süddeutsche Zeitung Template:De icon.
  3. ^ Upstarts Continue to Hijack Votes in Germany May 8, 2012
  4. ^ Niedermayer, Oskar (21 September 2011), "Partei-Profil: Piratenpartei Deutschland", on the page of Federal Agency for Civic Education Template:De icon.
  5. ^ "Piraten sehen sich als „sozial-liberale Grundrechtspartei"", Focus Online, 05 October 2011 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= (help) Template:De icon.
  6. ^ "Pressekonferenz der Piratenpartei", (Video, complete version 76:34), 05 October 2011 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= (help) Template:De icon.
  7. ^ Program of the Piratenpartei (German)
  8. ^ "Bernd Schlömer neuer Vorsitzender der Piratenpartei Deutschland" (in German). 28 April 2012. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
  9. ^ "Erstes Mandat für die Piratenpartei". Berliner Morgenpost (in German). 6 February 2009. Retrieved 20 June 2009.
  10. ^ "MdB Jörg Tauss wechselt zur Piratenpartei" (in German). Piratenpartei Brandenburg. 20 June 2009. Retrieved 26 January 2012.
  11. ^ http://www.piratenpartei.de/Pressemitteilung-100530-Joerg-Tauss-erklaert-seinen-Austritt-aus-der-Piratenpartei
  12. ^ "Mitgründer der Grünen wird Pirat". 27 August 2009. Retrieved 28 August 2009.
  13. ^ "Grünen-Gründer Rusche wechselt zur Piratenpartei", Bild Zeitung, 27 August 2009 Template:De icon.
  14. ^ members
  15. ^ Allen, Kristen (28 September 2009), "Pirate Party fires broadside at German political establishment", The Local.
  16. ^ Gesamtübersicht Festsetzung der staatlichen Teilfinanzierung für das Jahr 2009 gemäß §§ 18 ff. PartG (in German), dated: 21 January 2010.
  17. ^ Acht Gründe für die Piratenpartei Wirtschaftswoche; June 13, 2006. in German
  18. ^ Carp, Ossi (9 June 2009). "Piratpartiets framgång internationell nyhet". Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). Retrieved 9 June 2009.
  19. ^ Piraten ziehen in Stadträte ein (German), gulli.com, 30 August 2009
  20. ^ "Endgültiges Ergebnis für Nordrhein-Westfalen". Landtagswahl 2010 (in German). Die Landeswahlleiterin des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen. Retrieved 23 May 2010.
  21. ^ http://www.statistik-sh.de/WSD09/LW09/la_4_2_5.htm
  22. ^ http://www.wahlen-berlin.de/home.asp
  23. ^ "Social Democrats win Berlin elections, Pirate Party enters legislation". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
  24. ^ Kulish, Nicholas (19 September 2011). "Pirates' Strong Showing in Berlin Elections Surprises Even Them". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
  25. ^ preliminary official election result (percent), 26 March 2012Template:De icon
  26. ^ preliminary official election result (seats), 26 March 2012Template:De icon
  27. ^ http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304587704577333922727849932.html
  28. ^ http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2012/0412/1224314639181.html
  29. ^ http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-04-10/germany-s-pirate-party-siphons-opposition-support-poll-shows
  30. ^ [1]
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