Ivan Bartos secured his re-election as the Junior Government Chairman of the Czech Pirate Party. He emerged victorious in the second round of the online vote held during the national forum in Brno today, surpassing MEP Marketa Gregorova.
After the election, Bartos thanked the party members for their support, which he did not take for granted, he added. He also recalled that the country would face important elections this and next years. The goal for the Czech Republic is to be a free, tolerant, democratic and not only digitally connected society, Bartos said.
Bartos, 43, an MP, the deputy PM for digitisation and regional development minister, was chairman of the Pirates from 2009 to 2014, with a break between June and September 2013, and then again from 2016.
He received 569 votes in the first round of the election today, and Gregorova 455. In the second round, Bartos had 556 votes, and Gregorova 300.
“We are a party that advocates liberal, pro-European politics,” Bartos said.
He noted that he would like the party to continue working for the benefit of the citizens. He said he believed the economy and living standards in the Czech Republic would improve this year. He mentioned affordable housing, support for young people, anti-corruption measures, digitalisation and reducing red tape as his priorities, along with communication within the Pirate Party.
Gregorova, 30, described today’s election as an advertisement for internal party democracy. She vowed to continue to spend the same energy she had spent on running for chairperson on behalf of the party.
