Pirate Party (Finland) Explained

Pirate Party
Foundation:24 May 2008
Ideology:Pirate politics
Freedom of information
Information privacy
Headquarters:Franzéninkatu 5 E 1
00500 Helsinki
International:Pirate Parties International
Website:www.piraattipuolue.fi
Country:Finland
Native Name:
Chairperson:Pekka Mustonen
Leader1 Title:Deputy chairs
Leader1 Name:Satu Immonen
Marek Nečada
Riikka Nieminen
Position:Big tent
European:European Pirate Party
Membership:173
Membership Year:2019
Youth Wing:Pirate Youth
Colours: Purple
Black
White
Newspaper:Purje (discontinued 2013)

The Pirate Party (Finnish: Piraattipuolue, Swedish: Piratpartiet) is a Pirate Party in Finland that was registered as a political party from 2009 to 2023. The group currently has around 173 paying members.[1] The chairman of the party is Pekka Mustonen.[2] The party is a member of Pirate Parties International and European Pirate Party.

History

In January 2008, Matti Hiltunen registered the domain piraattipuolue.fi and set up a BBS on the site. In May 2008, about 50 founding members of the party held the founding assembly in Tampere.[3] In September 2008 the party started to collect the 5,000 needed to officially register the party. The party's goal was to take part in the 2009 European Parliamentary election. The supporter cards were collected by 1 June 2009,[4] too late for the elections. The party was officially registered on 13 August 2009.[5]

In October 2009, the Pirate Party took part in the special municipal election of Loviisa with 1 candidate, but did not win a seat. The party's first major election was the 2011 Finnish parliamentary election with 127 candidates in 11 constituencies,[6] receiving 0.5% of votes and becoming the largest party to have no seats in parliament.[7] In the 2014 European Parliament election it won 12,378 votes (0.7%).[8] In the 2015 Finnish parliamentary election the party received 25,105 or 0.8% of total votes, and was left without seats in the parliament.[9] Consequently, the Ministry of Justice de-registered the party for failing to win seats in two consecutive parliamentary elections.[10] The party collected the required 5,000 supporter cards again and was re-registered on 6 June 2016.[11] After failing to win seats in the next two parliamentary elections, it was de-registered again in 2023.[12]

In the 2017 municipal elections, the Pirate Party gained two seats on municipal councils, one in Helsinki and one in Jyväskylä. Helsinki council member Petrus Pennanen received 1,364 votes;[13] Jyväskylä council member Arto Lampila received 191 votes.[14] Both lost their seats in the municipal elections of 2021.

Political goals

In its political agenda, the party aims to develop open democracy, safeguard civil rights and increased transparency in politics. It wants to free information and culture from prohibitive restrictions and review the utility of the patent system, all while increasing privacy and freedom of speech. The party supports a universal basic income and wants to abolish daylight saving time.[15]

Pirate Youth

The party has a youth organisation, the Pirate Youth (Finnish: '''Piraattinuoret'''). It was founded on 5 February 2009 in Helsinki. It has an upper age-limit of 28 years.[16] Membership of Piraattinuoret is free of charge.

Election results

Parliament of Finland

ElectionVotes%Seats+/–Government
201115,1030.51New
201525,1050.85 0
201919,0320.62 0
20233,0580.10 0

European Parliamentary elections

YearElectedVotesShareRef.
2014012,3550.7%
2019012,5790.7%[17]

Municipal elections

YearElectedVotesShareRef.
201205,9860.2%
201729,0750.4%[18]
202102,6080.1%

Party chairs

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Piraattipuolueen rivit rakoilevat: puheenjohtaja haluaa lakkauttaa puolueen ja liittää sen toiseen . 27 December 2020 . 27 December 2020.
  2. Web site: Ihmiset. 28 January 2016.
  3. Web site: Historia ja tilastoja. Piraattipuolue. 6 April 2012. 7 April 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120407054005/http://www.piraattipuolue.fi/puolue/historia. dead.
  4. Web site: Finnish Pirate Party files for party registration . . 21 June 2009 . 2 June 2009.
  5. Web site: Pirate Party of Finland enters party register . 19 August 2009 . 2009 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110111003449/http://newsroom.finland.fi/stt/showarticle.asp?intNWSAID=22589&group=Politics . 11 January 2011 .
  6. Web site: Number of candidates by party and constituency in Parliamentary elections 2011 . 3 April 2011. 2011.
  7. Web site: Results - Whole country . 13 May 2011 . 6 April 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110420061201/http://192.49.229.35/E2011/e/tulos/tulos_kokomaa.html . 20 April 2011 .
  8. Web site: Tulos puolueittain. 30 May 2014. 2 November 2014. Finnish Ministry of Justice.
  9. Web site: Koko maa - puolueiden kannatus. Yle uutiset. Yleisradio. 19 April 2015.
  10. Web site: Kuusi puoluetta putosi puoluerekisteristä. Yle uutiset. 7 May 2015 . Yleisradio. 9 May 2015.
  11. Web site: Piraattipuolue palasi puolueeksi. Suomenmaa. 6 June 2015. 7 June 2015.
  12. Web site: Yhdeksän puoluetta poistettu puoluerekisteristä . Vaalit.fi . Ministry of Justice . fi. 19 April 2023 . 19 April 2023.
  13. Web site: Helsinki - Kuntavaalit 2017 - Vaalien tulospalvelu Yle. Vaalien tulospalvelu. fi. 2017-04-10.
  14. Web site: Jyväskylä - Kuntavaalit 2017 - Vaalien tulospalvelu Yle. Vaalien tulospalvelu. fi. 2017-04-10.
  15. Web site: Puolueohjelma . Piraattipuolue . 6 April 2012 . fi .
  16. Web site: Yhdistystietoa . Piraattinuoret . 11 May 2010 . fi . https://web.archive.org/web/20100614012920/http://www.piraattinuoret.fi/yhdistys/tietoa/ . 14 June 2010 . dead .
  17. Web site: Europarlamenttivaalit 2019: Tulokset: Koko maa. Ministry of Justice. fi. 3 December 2019.
  18. Web site: Koko maa - Kuntavaalit 2017 - Vaalien tulospalvelu Yle. Vaalien tulospalvelu. fi. 2017-04-10.