Czech Pirates after election defeat: what Prague and regions say

The Czech Pirate Party is searching for the reasons behind its poor showing in the municipal elections, and the result in Prague is stirring the strongest emotions. “There are places where we were very successful, but I am not entirely happy with the results in the big cities – Prague, Brno and Ostrava,” said MP Andrea Hoffmannová.

The most visible setback came in the capital: the party lost six of its thirteen seats. According to PAQ Research, the decline affected the whole country: the Pirates now represent one percentage point fewer people in municipalities, the biggest drop among all opposition parties compared with the previous election.

According to the party’s first deputy chairman, MP Martin Šmída, the picture is not black and white. “We lost in Prague, Plzeň and Ostrava, but we doubled our result in České Budějovice and strengthened in Karlovy Vary, Ústí nad Labem, Jihlava and Přerov,” he said. Hřib sees the outcome similarly: municipal election results tend to be mixed, but the party has to react. He names a lack of campaign money as one of the reasons.

Prague will look for mistakes

The Prague Pirates also agree that the cause of the losses must be found. “The result in Prague is bad, it is a defeat,” said Magdalena Valdmanová, deputy chair of the regional association. Regional chairman Ondřej Mělena also speaks of a “clear failure”: “We need to understand why voters left us. Did we fail to communicate our topics properly, or did our leader Tereza Nislerová play a role?”

Discontent was also voiced at the Prague branch’s meeting on Thursday, but its leadership is in no hurry to pass quick verdicts. “We are collecting feedback from members and will think it over. Emotions are still very raw, so we will see over time what comes of it,” Valdmanová added.

According to political scientist Lubomír Kopeček of Masaryk University in Brno, the party’s nationwide ratings are falling overall. “When a party is stronger in big cities but doing worse across the country than four years ago, it is bound to show in elections in those cities,” he explained. Turnout may also have played a role: it is noticeably higher in elections to the Chamber of Deputies than in municipal ones, and Pirate voters tend to be younger and less disciplined.

Hřib’s position is not under threat

Party members from other regions, like Šmída, mostly list where they succeeded. The chairman of the Central Bohemian branch, MP Samuel Volpe, is glad the region managed to defend its council seats. MP Hana Ančicová is pleased with the results in the Zlín Region but regrets that they are overshadowed by setbacks elsewhere. In her view, an assessment is unavoidable, and national and regional politics cannot be separated. She thinks the tone of communication and outdoor advertising deserve discussion.

Despite the decline, the party leadership apparently has nothing to fear, although members demand a review of the mistakes. “Big cities reflect national politics, so we should consider whether our tactics and way of communicating are right,” said Hoffmannová.

According to Mělena, party chairman Zdeněk Hřib also has room to improve: “Zdeněk and I often talk about it. A slight change in rhetoric would be enough and things could have gone differently. He does it well, he has the weight, but at some moments he is too sharp.” Valdmanová added: “At the national level we will have to think about very basic things: what is wrong and how to move on. We must calmly allow ourselves criticism within our own ranks.”

Volpe, however, believes Hřib is leading the party well. “He took it over when the Pirates were not in the best shape, and he managed, for example, to stabilize membership, which is important. Besides, there are no serious disputes in the party,” he explained.

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Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz