It’s also possible to take heed to the interview within the audio model.
The votes are tallied and whereas different events are celebrating, the outcomes are extra like wrinkles on the brow of the Pirate Get together. Although its members hoped to defend the prevailing three mandates even earlier than the votes had been counted and, for instance, candidate Mikuláš Peksa wished at the least 4, the expectations weren’t fulfilled ultimately.
The pirate social gathering misplaced considerably on this 12 months’s European elections and managed to defend solely one of many three mandates. In Brussels, the social gathering will probably be represented by the present MEP Markéta Gregorová, who was second on the candidate listing behind the chief Marcel Kolaja, however due to preferential votes, she managed to struggle her technique to first place.
What are your first impressions of the election outcomes?
Though I’m extraordinarily grateful to all of the voters for his or her preferential votes, I respect them very a lot, however sadly it’s a large disappointment for the social gathering and we should mirror on it.
You had been in second place on the candidate listing. However due to the preferential votes, you “jumped over” candidate chief Marcela Kolaja. How do you clarify this private success?
Provided that I’ve primarily labored on safety points all through the complete marketing campaign, in addition to for the final 5 years, and subsequently additionally for the final two years on the subject of the warfare in Ukraine, I imagine that for the voters of the Pirates and the political scene within the Czech Republic, this can be a subject security vital. And that is why they wished me to proceed engaged on it and selling it.
Disappointment with the outcomes, nonetheless, will not be solely among the many Pirates, but in addition in different events of the federal government coalition, which had been additionally considering of higher outcomes…
I understand it by way of the lens of the entire of Europe, as a result of the Czech Republic will not be the one one the place conservative and even ultra-conservative and right-wing events are on the rise. After all, I’m influenced by the truth that I primarily work within the area of safety, however I imagine that it had a big affect, that individuals in instances of disaster or worry for his or her future need one thing extra conservative.
As a result of it isn’t simply the decline of the Pirates, however basically we are able to observe the departure of many liberal voices on the scene. The place did they go? That’s the query we should ask ourselves now. And it’ll most likely be requested by all political scientists and commentators within the following weeks.
Euro elections like a raised finger
Bringing it once more to the Pirate Get together, do you see any errors at this level that will probably be good to keep away from within the subsequent election?
We’re nonetheless analyzing that, following all it is laborious to say proper now. We thought that the marketing campaign was contemporary and, for example, rebellious, attention-grabbing… Nonetheless, it may be seen that it didn’t persuade the voters. I imagine that we should begin higher speaking sure subjects which will have been divisive or controversial for some folks.
It is the Inexperienced Deal, for instance, which is an enormous problem, however sadly the voices that say it is a risk are clearly successful. And I feel we’re simply going to should get higher at explaining to voters why we expect our answer to that problem will present them with a greater future than what different events are promising them.
Nonetheless, there have been additionally voices criticizing your election marketing campaign for not being very complete or conceptual. On the identical time, we noticed that a few of your social gathering colleagues took a fairly individualist line in it. You personally do not see an issue with it?
I do not suppose that our marketing campaign is instantly incomplete. We had a method and we carried out it. Nonetheless, even with the truth that I’m the vice-president of the social gathering, I can say that for a number of weeks inside the presidency of the social gathering we have now been coping with how we are going to put together for the parliamentary elections and that we’d like a a lot narrower idea and begin actually making ready already now, and we are going to most likely already create a marketing campaign group and attempt to change sure issues.
So are you taking away any classes from this election?
It’s a huge warning finger raised for us and a sign that we have to change one thing, both within the communication or in the way in which we method the elections.
Do you have already got any preliminary details regarding how your two social gathering colleagues, Marcel Kolaja and Mikuláš Peksa, are bearing the lack of their mandate?
We noticed one another regarding three minutes following the outcomes had been introduced, as a result of then we went all the way down to the printing press, nonetheless, they congratulated me, I felt sorry for them, as a result of they actually did an unbelievable quantity of labor there, which I additionally instructed them, and since I’m so sorry. However tomorrow Marcel Kolaja, our chief, and I’ll fly to Brussels and he’ll assist me negotiate. So a sure type of cooperation doesn’t finish and they’re going to following all stay satisfied Pirates. And for Marcel Kolaja, the hunt to get the place of European Commissioner will not be over but, which Ivan Bartoš and Marcel will attempt for within the negotiations with the coalition of 5.
The Renew Europe faction is within the sport
How do you anticipate your workload to alter following these elections, when you’ll be the one pirate MEP?
This can be a very troublesome query for me for the time being. It would very a lot depend upon what positions I negotiate inside the faction I am going to. However I’ll attempt to make up for the truth that we are going to now not have such a quantitative illustration there with these positions.
However within the final 5 years, I’ve seen colleagues who got here there on their very own for his or her social gathering in addition to utterly new MEPs, i.e. in a tougher place than I’m now, and so they managed to develop to an unbelievable degree and achieve respect throughout the complete European spectrum. So I do not fall into pessimism and panic, I feel I am going to have the ability to do this too.
And on the difficulty of factions, do you wish to stick with the present one or are you contemplating a change?
We’ve got been in Zeleny (ESA) for 15 years. If I am speaking regarding needing energy positions, then this faction is probably the most logical for us. Nonetheless, if the ANO motion was not headed for the Renew faction, the place, given their rhetoric, I feel they don’t have anything to do, then it might actually be one of many prospects.
