Pirates to continue pursuing statute reform, says Sven Clement

Ben Polidori, one of the three Pirate Party MPs elected in October, announced his intent to withdraw from the party "with immediate effect" on Monday, citing the party's functioning as a major factor in his decision. He will continue to serve as an independent MP.

"We must now push on with our statute reform," Sven Clement told RTL on Tuesday morning.  "We need to adapt governance to the new realities of the party."

The current work will have to be completed quickly, with various proposals to be reviewed. In order to do so, the party plans to consult its base in all constituencies, with the aim of completing this process in time for the party congress in the autumn. Clement said the party would obviously like to regain Polidori's seat in the Chamber, but could not force him to give it up.

The Pirates have now returned to their pre-election tally of two MPs in the Chamber of Deputies. Both Clement and his fellow MP Marc Goergen said they were surprised and disappointed at Polidori's resignation.

Coordinator Marc Goergen expressed some understanding for the discontent, as the party's values had not been openly expressed recently, but said he did not think it right to simply leave and continue along another path. Clement stressed that Polidori's departure was likely to have a major impact on the party's work in the near future, while the financial consequences for the party's budget would need to be clarified.