According to an article by TorrentFreak, Sweden"s Pirate Party seems all set to gain a seat in the EU Parliament, according to polls in Swedish newspaper DN.se. The Pirate Party has received significant attention since the Pirate Bay Trial.
The party is predicted to gain 5.1% of all votes in the EU elections, which are taking place this June. Should they gain that, they would be guaranteed a seat in the EU Parliament. The party has over 41,750 members, and will soon be the third largest political party in Sweden. The Young Pirate youth organisation, associated with the Pirate Party, is currently Sweden"s largest youth organisation, based on the amount of members it has.
"In January of 2006, we set sail for new civil liberties land by bypassing today"s politicians and talking directly to voting citizens — that is, with the goal of kicking some of today"s politicians out of office. It appears we"ve just heard the first LAND AHOY! from the watch," said Rick Falkvinge, leader of the Pirate Party, talking to TorrentFreak.
The party is already larger than Sweden"s Green Party, with major support from those in the 18-30 year old age group. The Pirate Party gained 9000 members on the day of the Pirate Bay verdict, which kick-started a huge growth in popularity for the party.