Pirate Party wins in German state elections

THE GERMAN ARM of the Pirate Party has had success in the state election and gained some seats in parliament.

This is the first time that the Pirate Party has gained seats in the German parliament and it is reckoned to have around nine per cent of the seats in Germany's legislative offices.

The party has won support amongst younger voters, perhaps unsurprisingly, and these voters apparently have pushed its election tally beyond the five per cent required for a seat.

Of course this has lead to some excitement at the Pirate Party. "[A] very important benefit is, that citizens and media are taking parties with access to the parliament much more seriously," Sebastian Nerz, chairman of the German Pirate Party told Torrentfreak.

"A number of times I've heard, 'Your party is not relevant because it does not have members of parliament'. Following this weekend's successes, in this respect the party's position will be greatly improved," he added.

Entering the German parliament will also give the party more funds, according to Nerz, and could lead to an increase in support as it appears to be more relevant to voters.

"At the moment the Pirate Party of Germany does not have any paid employees," added Nerz.

"Everyone working for the party - including myself - is working in an honorary capacity. In contrast, Members of Parliament are paid for their work. In addition they receive state money to pay for assistants and co-workers. This will enable those Pirates to work full-time for the party, thus giving us much more work force." µ