Pirates voted most popular party by students

Prague, Sept 6 (CTK) - The Pirates, followed by the conservative TOP 09 and the far-right Workers' Party of Social Justice (DSSS), would win the Czech regional elections if only secondary school students cast their votes, the People in Need group that organised the survey said yesterday.

In total, the Pirates won over 20 percent of the vote, TOP 09 15 percent and the DSSS over 10 percent. Neither the Pirates nor the DSSS are represented in parliament. TOP 09 is the junior government party.

The senior government Civic Democrats (ODS) won nearly 8 percent and the opposition Social Democrats (CSSD) who rule the regions won 5 percent. The extra-parliamentary Party of Free Citizens (SSO) gained 5 percent, the opposition Communists (KSCM) and the Greens (SZ) about 4.5 percent each.

The test elections showed big differences between individual regions. The DSSS would win in the Usti region, for example. In Prague, TOP 09 won closely followed by the Pirates.

Nearly 22,000 students from 170 secondary schools took part in the test elections, organised within the One World at Schools programme.

"The results of the 2012 Student Elections are both a lot surprising and alarming. We nevertheless consider them important and hope that they will lead to broader discussion and reflection in society," the programme's head Karel Strachota said.

The previous test elections that the People in Need organised two years ago showed that TOP 09 is the most popular party, followed by the ODS and Public Affairs (VV).

The test elections were to acquaint students with the functioning of the election system and regional self-rule bodies before the regional elections that will be held on October 12-13.

Some CSSD regional governors had angry reactions to the first student elections held in 2010 after their party proved to be rather unpopular among Czech teenagers.

This year the Council of the Association of Czech Regions, dominated by the CSSD, supported the test election project, however.