Image: Piraattipuolue

Finland's Pirate Party candidates can now stand for office in Finnish municipal and parliamentary elections as well as in EU parliamentary elections. On its website the party states that its primary objective now is to secure a seat in Finland's 2011 parliamentary elections. The Finnish Pirate Party’s agenda includes overhauling copyright laws and abolishing patents.

The Finnish Pirate Party is modelled on the Swedish Pirates, who won one seat in the EU parliament elections in June.

Sweden's Pirates saw a rush of interest this spring after the conviction of the men behind the file-sharing site Pirate Bay.

With the addition of the Pirate Party, Finland now has 15 official political parties.