Greek flag. Photo by Mario's Planet at Flickr, CC-BY-NC.

Congratulations On First Elections, Greek Pirate Party

Pirate Parties

While the Germans voted their Piratenpartei into Parliament in Schleswig-Holstein last Sunday, the Greeks also went to the polling stations. The Greek Pirate Party did an amazing first election.

The Greek Pirate Party, Κόμμα Πειρατών Ελλάδας, was founded on January 14 this year. To get 32,487 votes less than four months later – just over half a percent of the Greek votes – is nothing short of phenomenal. Even breaking through to mainstream awareness in four months is phenomenal.

It should be noted that the distance between nothing and 0.5 per cent is much larger than the distance between 0.5 and 5 — once you start hitting 2-3 per cent, you get your own bar in the polls, and become “electable”. You have a shot at parliament, so you’re not a wasted vote anymore.

The Greek PP has posted a letter thanking all 32,487 citizens for the confidence. Well done, and classy.

I had the privilege of meeting some of the activists in the Greek PP while I was in Prague last month, at the Pirate Parties International meeting. On that meeting, our Greek brothers and sisters were also taken up in the community.

I think this signifies the depth and breadth of the Pirate Party community and the strength of the underbrush that we come from. Greece is quite diverse from Sweden, where the movement started six years ago, and yet the same political movement can make quite rapid advances in Greece, too. It’s like the difference between Germany’s Berlin and Saarland elections, which were also different and day as night, and still, the Pirate Party prevailed.

I’m really looking forward to the next five years. In the meantime, Συγχαρητήρια, Ελλάδα.

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About The Author: Rick Falkvinge

Rick is the founder of the first Pirate Party and is a political evangelist, traveling around Europe and the world to talk and write about ideas of a sensible information policy. He has a tech entrepreneur background and loves whisky.

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Christina Sereti

May 9, 2012 - 19:36

Thank you Rick, and as we say in Greek : Ευχαριστούμε!

RESPOND TO THIS

Giorgio Mariotti

May 9, 2012 - 19:47

Ευχαριστούμε Rick!!!!

Thefanis

May 9, 2012 - 20:19

Thank you Rick……

Σταθης Λειβαδιτης

May 9, 2012 - 21:04

Thank you! Your words are inspiring for the Greek Pirate Party!

thanasis gounaris

May 9, 2012 - 21:46

thanks greek pirates will grow in a strong party

Kostas Champipis

May 9, 2012 - 23:32

Thank you Rick……..

Chris Taklis

May 9, 2012 - 23:37

Thank you Rick…

Viktualiebrodern

May 10, 2012 - 07:54

In those constituencies where it was actually possible to vote pirate they averaged 0,66%. All those zer-constituencies due to trouble with ballots dragged down the overall result.

Scary Devil Monastery

May 10, 2012 - 10:14

Let’s not forget that Greece is, right now, most likely the most hostile territory a liberal party could have. The greek pirates could probably have harvested an extra 5% or so if they had put inflammatory rhetoric in the foreground.

And so this result is nothing short of amazing and proves that some people in Greece still remember their philosophers.

» Κόμμα Πειρατών Ελλάδας - Pirate party of Greece

May 10, 2012 - 10:15

[...] Rick Falkvinge, Ιδρυτής του Κόμματος Πειρατών Σουηδίας Μετάφραση Ο.Τ. από το από το http://falkvinge.net/2012/05/09/congratulations-on-first-elections-greek-pirate-party/ [...]

Συγχαρητήρια, Ελλάδα. του Rick Falkvinge | Κόμμα Πειρατών Ελλάδας – Τοπικό Γραφείο Μαγνησίας

May 10, 2012 - 10:20

[...] Πειρατών Σουηδίας Μετάφραση Ο.Τ. από το από το http://falkvinge.net/2012/05/09/congratulations-on-first-elections-greek-pirate-party/ Share this:EmailPrintTwitterFacebookMoreDiggStumbleUponTumblrRedditLinkedInPinterestLike [...]

Anestis

Now translated in Greek (by O.T.) & posted on ppGR site

http://www.pirateparty.gr/2012/05/sygxaritiria-apo-rick/

Thank you Rick!

Spiros Vlachoulis

May 10, 2012 - 13:56

Rick thank you very much for your inspiring words. Your Greek friends need your support !!!

suchenwi

May 19, 2012 - 20:56

So the next round of elections is coming up in four weeks… I wish you luck and all possible success, Komma Peiratwn Elladas!

Manchester PPUK - The brand new Greek Pirate Party needs you (National Elections Round 2)

May 23, 2012 - 13:49

[...] months since it was set up! As the Swedish Pirate Party Founder Rick Falkvinge expressly said in a congratulatory letter to the Greek Pirates, ”Even breaking through to mainstream awareness in four months is [...]

32,487 | Virginia Right!

May 27, 2012 - 01:03

[...] is how many voters in Greece voted for the Greek Pirate Party, according to a report from Rick Falkvinge: The Greek Pirate Party, Κόμμα Πειρατών Ελλάδας, was [...]

Autolykos

June 7, 2012 - 11:31

You’ve missed another good election for the Pirates: The French Parliament: http://www.pcinpact.com/news/71446-legislatives-2012-parti-pirate-bons-resultats.htm
Best results for now (as expected) by Isabelle Robin in one of the districts for French living outside France* (central and eastern Europe, including Germany). With little more than a month for preparation, no budget whatsoever, a team of five people (and a little help from the German Pirates), she achieved a total of 2.85% of votes.
Full disclosure: I’m one of those five :)

*It’s possible for the first time that the French living outside France can take part in the elections for Parliament. Sarkozy probably changed this because he hoped that the people outside might hate him less than those who actually had to live in France.