The General Assembly of Pirate Parties International (PPI) will be held two weeks from now and they will choose a new board. According to the application form for the new board, “we do have temporarily problems with wiki, so we are glad to help”. A glitch in the wiki means candidates cannot be listed directly and a mail needs to be sent to the PPI board, but we have been informed that there still haven’t been any nominations for the next PPI Board.

This means you have the chance to do something for the international movement. Namely, become a member of the PPI leadership. The positions are:

• Chairperson (2 positions)
• Board members (5 positions)
• Court of Arbitration (3-7 positions)
• Lay auditors (3 positions)

The only qualification is time and enthusiasm. You do not need to be in a member party of PPI, nor do you have to be a Pirate according to the statutes. But a good understanding of Pirate Principles and a desire to see the movement prosper would be seen as essential qualities to have. You will also need to be sponsored by a member nation, which is easiest achieved by talking to your international coordinator. If your Party is not a member, contact us and we can try and put you in touch with a member party. A member party may make as many sponsorships as they wish for any candidates they consider suitable for the board.

You should be prepared to present yourself to the handful of delegates who will be electing the board members. If you cannot be at the General Assembly in person it is a good idea to make a short video to present yourself at the GA, and also writing to the international coordinators. It is only the delegates who can vote – not the Pirate Party members – so it is only those few chosen Pirates you must convince to vote for you.

The previous PPI boards have been dominated by white middle class males – mainly because we have been drawing our members from geekdom. Time for a change. Thus, if you are not hetero male, belong to an ethnicity other than European or have a disability (the work is done online), then get in there and get some diversity into the movement.

You can find the form template and instructions on the PPI Wiki

Featured image: public domain

About Andrew Reitemeyer

I joined the Pirate Party of Lower Saxony in Germany in April 2012, once I found out that non citizens were welcome to join and become active members of the Party.
I joined the Pirate Times soon after it was started as a proof reader and am now an editor and author. Since then I have returned to my native New Zealand and joined the Pirate Party of New Zealand.
Politically I come from the libertarian left and have, up to now, not regarded any political party as having a solution for the democratic deficit that envelops the world. With the advent of the Pirate Party, which truly embraces grass roots democracy, I have found a political home. The Pirate Times is a way I can contribute to furthering the Pirate Movement around the world.
Skype: frithogar

The General Assembly of Pirate Parties International (PPI) will be held two weeks from now and they will choose a new board. According to the application form for the new board, “we…All content is CC-BY if not mentioned otherwise. Please link back to us if using content.