The Pirate Party Berlin (German: Piratenpartei Berlin) is the state chapter of the Pirate Party Germany in the city-state of Berlin and was the first chapter of the Pirates to enter a Landtag (state parliament), getting elected to the Abgeordnetenhaus of Berlin in 2011. The party divides itself into so-called Crews (self-organizing units) at the local level. Work groups on specific themes are called Squads.^[2] Since 2010, the national association has used the software LiquidFeedback for intra-party decision-making.^[3]

Quick Facts Chairperson, General Secretary ...

Pirate Party Berlin Piratenpartei Berlin
Chairperson	Simon Kowalewski
General Secretary	Petra Stoll
Deputy Leader	Alexander Spies
Treasurer	Achim Weinberger
Executive Director	Franz-Josef Schmitt
Founded	30 December 2006 (2006-12-30)
Youth wing	Young Pirates
Membership (Jan 2, 2016)	884[1]
Ideology	Pirate politics Direct democracy
National affiliation	Pirate Party Germany
International affiliation	Pirate Parties International
Colours	Orange
Website
berlin.piratenpartei.de
Politics of Germany Political parties Elections

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The state chapter was founded 30 December 2006. During the 2009 federal election, the Berlin Pirate Party received 3.4 percent of the votes, which was their best showing at the national level. During the 2011 Berlin state election, the party entered a state parliament for the first time when they received 8.9 percent of the votes for the state parliament of Berlin. Lead candidate of the party list, Andreas Baum, was thus given a seat.^[4]

List of Chairpersons:

• 2007–2008: Andreas Janson
• 2008–2011: Andreas Baum
• 2011–2012: Gerhard Anger
• 2012: Hartmut Semken
• 2012: Christiane Schinkel
• 2012–2014: Gerhard Anger
• 2014: Christopher Lauer
• November 2014 – September 2016: Bruno Kramm
• September 2016 – present: Simon Kowalewski

One of the main concerns of the Pirate Party at the country level is transparency in politics and public administration. The Berlin Pirate Party pioneered livestreaming party meetings on the internet^[5] and making the records available for download.^[6]

As per its 2011 election programme, the Berlin Pirate Party advocates the promotion of alternative residential projects and cultural institutions as well as the preservation of open spaces in inner-city areas. It also opposes the so-called "Berlin Line" low-tolerance anti-squatting policy.^[7] The party is also in favor of a ticket-less public transport system in Berlin.^[8] The successful "Referendum on Disclosing Partial Privatizations of the Berlin Waterworks" (Volksentscheid über die Offenlegung der Teilprivatisierungsverträge bei den Berliner Wasserbetrieben) was supported by the Berlin Pirates. For Berlin schools, the party also supports ethical education on drug use ("Drug Maturity" model).^[9] The party also wants to remove the minimum voting age clause for Berlin state parliament elections. In addition, three chapters of their party's basic program are devoted to animal welfare.^[10]

In the state parliament of Berlin (Abgeordnetenhaus von Berlin), all 15 Pirate Party candidates (14 men and 1 woman) were elected directly through their mandate. Of the parties in the state parliament, the Pirates have the lowest percentage of female representatives, with only 6.6 percent.

Because of double candidacies, three seats in the Borough Assembly (BVV) in Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg could not be filled. Because of this, the pirates could not take city council posts for which they were eligible.^[11][12]

(*) During 2014-2015, Baum, Delius, Herberg, Höfinghoff, Lauer, Mayer und Weiß laid down their party membership, but continued to work with the remaining PPB parliamentary group.

The Pirate Party is represented in all 12 borough assemblies in Berlin. In five assemblies, the pirates cannot fully occupy their allocated seats because they received more seats than they had candidates. The following table shows the number of seats per district and, in parentheses, the number of vacant seats:

More information Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf, Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg ...

Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf	Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg	Lichtenberg	Marzahn-Hellersdorf	Mitte	Neukölln	Pankow	Reinickendorf	Spandau	Zehlendorf	Schöneberg	Köpenick
4	5 (+4)	5	4 (+1)	4 (+2)	4	6	4	3 (+1)	3	4	4 (+1)

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The Berlin state election on September witnessed the collapse of support for the Pirate party in their previous stronghold of Berlin. Their previous vote of 8.9% achieved in 2011 fell to 1.7% and the Pirate party lost all representation in the Berlin State assembly. The poor result was compounded by the murder suicide of former Pirate party assembly member Gerwald Claus-Brunner who wheeled the body of a young man whom he had murdered through the streets of Berlin in a handcart.^[17]

• Pirate Party Germany
• Pirate Party