Pirate parties have been part of the European political landscape for twenty years; yet, their trajectories differ markedly, and only a few of them have managed to enter national parliaments or consolidate their position. While their electoral performance has fluctuated, ranging from early breakthroughs to subsequent decline, their persistence highlights both the challenges and opportunities faced by new political actors. Scholarship has so far concentrated on a few national cases, leaving many questions about their broader significance unanswered. This special issue/collection aims to fill that gap by examining Pirate parties in comparative perspective, situating them within the transformation of European party systems. Bringing together insights from seven contributions in this special issue/collection, this introduction serves three key purposes: it reviews the existing literature, outlines the theoretical expectations guiding the contributions, and contextualizes them within the wider study of party politics. By doing so, it provides a framework for understanding and analyzing how Pirates adapt, decline, or endure within different national and supranational arenas.
Naxera et al. (2026) studied this question.