It is Pirates time, it’s your time! | PirateTimes

Posted: May 17, 2015/Under: Creator, Election, Lorena Müller, News/By: Lorena Müller

It is Pirates’ Time, it’s your Time!

May 17, 2015 · by Lorena Müller · in Election

This post is also available in: Spanish

Political campaigning began on May 8^th for the local elections in Spain, which are being held on May 24^th. The Pirates in Spain – members of Confederacion Pirata – are standing in more than 30 cities around the country, bringing change to local politics by campaigning on issues of human rights, direct democracy, free culture and a people’s economy.

The reality of daily living conditions in the past few years has raised political awareness among much of Spanish society, and these upcoming local elections are a great opportunity to change that reality in the municipalities.

Local elections in Spain are conducted using a party-list proportional representation system. Many of the lists in municipalities where Pirates are standing are headed by ordinary citizens or are coalitions of political parties and private citizens. Pirates head lists in six of the municipalities in which they are standing: the town of Vigo in Galicia; the municipalities of Igualada, Mollet, Lleida and Palamos in Catalunya; Burjassot in Valencia; and Onda in Castellon. These Pirate candidates have been selected using an open primary system.

Alberto Carreira has emerged as the prime candidate from the coalition of Piratas de Galicia, eQuo (which has links with Julia Reda and the Green Group in the European Parliament) and Vigo en común. The candidacy in Vigo calls on citizens to empower themselves to be part of the city’s public life. The Equo-Piratas-Vigo coalition is a feminist candidacy, committed to the environment and to returning to Vigo the dignity and strength that the centre-left Partido Socialista Obrero Español (PSOE) and the conservative Partido Popular (PP) have stolen from the citizenship over the course of three decades.

via Twitter CC BY Piratas de Galicia and Vigo en común

Dario Castañé, who headed the list of the Confederación Pirata for the European elections in May 2014, is now heading the list of the coalition Decidim Igualada, which includes several parties and independent citizens. This candidacy wants to restore the city to its people, prioritising participation, transparency and universal access to municipal services through progressive rates.

“The City Council is the last Human Rights’ protection barrier against neoliberal austericide tsunami”, Dario stated.

CC BY Decidim Igualada

Hernan Torrella is the coordinator of the Pirates de Catalunya in el Baix Valles. He heads the Pirate electoral list in Mollet. Hernan was elected in open primaries with citizen support. The electoral program is entirely based on the Pirate ideology. For several years now, Pirates de Mollet have defended direct democracy and human rights in their city.

CC BY Pirates de Mollet

Carlos Gonzalez heads the electoral list of Comú de Lleida, a civic candidacy, which has worked jointly for more than 15 months to create a cohesive and inclusive model for a city made by people, for people, to facilitate everyday life and achieve more sociable movement around the city.

via Twitter Comú de Lleida

Ariadna Hormigo, member of Pirates de la Mitja Costa Brava in Catalonia, is the head of Pirates of Palamós-Democracia Municipal’s list. Ari and other Pirates created the local party at the beginning of the current year and they are strongly active in their city. Pirates de Palamós are not only making history; the city’s ruling party also puts its posters up in the place assigned to Pirates and have even copied part of the Pirate electoral programme.

“We do not want anyone to represent us, that’s why we want direct democracy, we want each person has the right to decide and choose freely”, said Ari.

CC BY Pirates de la Mitja Costa Brava

Adrián Juste is the Coordinator of Piratas de la Comunidad Valenciana. He is also the head of the Totes amb Burjassot list. This is a municipalist citizen and coalition candidacy, formed by activists with many years’ experience in Burjassot. They want participative and transparent decision-making, public services brought back to the control of the town hall, guarantees of the rights and freedoms that have been eroded with the economic crisis, and to fight against the tragedy of unemployment, corruption, inequality, evictions and exclusion suffered by many people.

CC BY Totes amb Burjassot

Rubén Romero is the head of Piratas de Onda candidacy, following open primary elections. This candidacy is solely Pirate, and is strongly committed to the fight against TTIP and for civil liberties. It is campaigning under the banner of open and transparent citizen-led government.

Featured image: CC BY Piratas de Madrid

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About Lorena Müller

I’m an Italian-Argentinean citizen living in Madrid, Spain since 2002. I’m
photographer, social media and IT consultant. I’m 15M (Indignados) activist.
I joined the Pirate movement in 2013 as an active member, working on amendments for the last European elections’ Common European Pirate Program and managing our social networks.
Currently I’m also the Confederación Pirata chairwoman.
I believe in liquid democracy, active participation in public life and left wing ideology. I’m feminist, antifascist and pirate.
Without Human Rights there is not any Democracy.
P-)