"I went to balls when I was 15 and politics was out of my mind. Today I lead the Young Pirates and am running for the lower house," says Kristián Sušer, the number three candidate for the Pirates in South Bohemia
Before we get to the topics that concern you directly, let's start with a current case that is resonating strongly in the Chamber of Deputies today, where the vote of no confidence in the government is being debated. (The interview took place on Tuesday, 17 June, ed.) What is your view on the so-called bitcoin scandal?
It is an extremely complex matter. I understand that a lot of our voters and constituents may not fully understand it, but from my point of view it is a case from which the government should have clearly drawn responsibility - and it did not. It started two weeks ago when the whole thing became public. It turned out that Minister Blažek knew about it. First he claimed that everything was fine with bitcoins, that they were ultra-legal. Then it turned out that it wasn't quite so. Blažek resigned, thereby admitting that it was not quite right. And since then, we have been hearing more and more information - that Prime Minister Fiala knew about it, that Finance Minister Stanjura allegedly did not read the email for a month and a half... Whether this is true or not, the problem is that none of them have faced up to it. It is not enough to replace one ODS justice minister with another and sit it out at the finance ministry. At the same time, a process that can be described as money laundering was created in the Ministry of Finance. And if the Ministry of Finance is responsible for AML - that is, for the fight against money laundering - I do not think that the minister under whom something like this happened has anything to do in his post.
Do you think it is still true what is often said about the ODS - that it is a corrupt party?
I do not think that everyone in the ODS is a thief or corrupt. But unfortunately some practices are repeated there. Every ODS government has had some kind of scandal. Pavel Blažek has had several - he used to be friends with the lobbyist Nejedlý, there was a deal with flats in Brno... then it was forgotten and now we have the bitcoin affair. But it's not just about him - the Motol case, overpriced IT contracts - these are not just isolated cases. This is a systemic problem. That is why this week (on the day of the start of the extraordinary session on the vote of no confidence in the government) we had a happening with the slogan "Let's kick up the anti-corruption clean-up", when our chairman Zdeněk Hřib and MPs went around the places associated with corruption to symbolically start cleaning up the corruption mess that has been created there. The headquarters of the ANO movement, the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Finance. So yes, there is probably something to it.
But your decision to vote for a vote of no confidence in the government may seem like a risky move in the current situation - especially just a few months before the elections. Won't it bring more chaos?
The government currently has 104 MPs, and if all four coalition parties are really behind it, the no-confidence vote will not pass anyway. Moreover, we have said from the start that our aim is not really to bring down the government at any cost. The last thing we want is for ANO and the SPD and similar entities to rule. However, we want independent and non-partisan experts to be at Justice and Finance. I think this is a legitimate demand in the light of the current case involving ministers from the ODS. However, we are in opposition and we are trying to exercise it constructively. While ANO and the SPD have been shouting from the start that this government must resign and that it is the worst in history, we have formulated specific demands from the start - to take personal responsibility in connection with the bitcoin scandal. But that has not happened. Therefore, as an opposition party that wants to be a credible alternative, we have no choice but to vote for a vote of no confidence.
But is your real motive not the fact that Prime Minister Fiala has dismissed Ivan Bartos from his post as Minister for Regional Development?
I really do not think so. There is no place for bruised egos in politics. It may look like that from the outside, but in reality, we cooperated normally with the government coalition even after we left the government - for example, during the discussion of changes to the Criminal Code, which included the partial legalization of cannabis, the extension of the statute of limitations for murder, and the so-called children's certificate. We agreed on these issues and communication and negotiations with the coalition continued. But the issue that has now erupted has gone far beyond the normal political disputes. And we cannot stand by and watch it.
Now, on a more personal level. When did you realise that you wanted to become politically involved?
I confess I was a little afraid of that question. When I hear other young people in politics talk about how a particular experience or strong motivation from childhood led them to do it, I didn't. At the age when some people join youth organisations - maybe 15 or 16 - I was going to proms and politics passed me by. It changed only during my first year at the University of Economics, where I studied economics, then still under the guidance of Mr. Ševčík, who brought his political views into the academic environment. I didn't agree with that, not even in principle, and certainly not in message. It was then that I became more interested in politics and realised that the Pirates were the closest political party to me, and I wanted to help them. I had no ambition for active politics. Eventually, however, I was led to join the Young Pirates by a colleague who connected me with the organization. For a year and a half afterwards, I have been leading its board.
You are only 22 and you are very young. Yet I know that you have even younger colleagues in the Young Pirates leadership...
Yes, that's right. In our Council, which is the highest body of the Young Pirates, we have a member who is 15 years old. His name is Štěpán Rytíř, and he does a great job - he is involved in many activities, including social media content. We generally have more members aged 15 to 17, which I think is important and inspiring. It shows that even very young people can have a real impact, make decisions and take responsibility. I haven't seen anything like this in other youth organisations. In addition, Štěpán is studying in Germany, so he is managing school abroad and political work remotely - so hats off to him, I'm really proud of him.
What role does your youth organisation actually play within the Pirates? Do you have an influence on the direction of the party?
Our main mission is to reach out to the younger generation - I don't think that will surprise anyone. But it's not just about marketing or campaign outputs. We do social media content because we feel that we understand the trends and language of this generation best - we are part of it ourselves. But at the same time, we're involved in creating topics. For example, we organise so-called guerrilla events. For example, we have drawn attention to menstrual poverty by handing out leaflets to MPs in the costume of an insert and a symbolic packet of inserts.
Another project is 'Think Mind', which addresses the lack of access to psychiatric and psychological care. And because it had a great response, it was taken up by the parent party and we were able to formulate programme priorities in this area - for example, expanding call centres, strengthening prevention and passing a law on psychotherapy, and being able to go to therapy without the consent of a legal guardian.
Do you also give feedback to the party leadership on how to reach out to young voters?
I certainly do. Many members of the Young Pirates are also part of the Pirates' campaign or media team. So our voices feed directly into the strategy. But I don't think the party leadership has a problem targeting young people either - they are still relatively young compared to other politicians.
But at the same time, you can't say that, for example, Ivan Bartoš or Zdeněk Hřib Gen Z...
Gen Z, of course, they are not. And in some ways, Ivan is an incredible boomer. But he still has a sense of humour, he knows how to speak to young people, and I think he succeeds in doing so.
There will be about 400,000 first-time voters in this year's election. What would you say to them as a representative of Generation Z - why should they vote for the Pirates?
Because we are the only party that really brings solutions to the problems that young people are facing - or will face in the future. I am often asked if we have a programme for young people. And I say, "We don't need to have a separate one. "Our key program priorities - supporting affordable housing, addressing the high cost of living - are exactly what young people need today. While other parties say it's a problem but don't bring specific solutions, we have them. In the case of ODS or ANO, I hear that we should 'build more', but when developers are building and speculators are buying up flats, this does nothing to solve the lack of affordable housing. We, on the other hand, are coming up with specific instruments - from construction to support for student grants and college housing.
It is often said that the younger generation is not very interested in politics. Do you share that view?
I don't think so. Rather, it's that people in the Czech Republic are generally not very interested in politics - and it's no different for young people. I think the problem is elsewhere: a lot of people don't believe that politics can change anything. They don't see their generation represented in it, they don't see anyone really listening to them. They are also - and I understand this - afraid to get involved in politics. When they watch scandals like the bitcoin scandal, when they see politicians embezzling public money while ordinary people pay high taxes, high rents and food... why should they trust them?
But the interest as such has not gone away. There is just a lack of trust that the political system offers answers to the real problems of the younger generation. But all parties are not the same. And we're happy to see new people and convince them that it makes sense to get actively involved.
You are running in the elections together with the Green Party. But is there a risk of a repeat of the situation in 2021, when the Pirates lost significantly because of the ringing of partners from STAN?
This is not a classic coalition like the one we had with STAN. This time, individuals from the Green Party are running as experts on our candidates - just like other non-party members. Everyone had to register for and pass our intra-party primaries. This is not a formal gesture; we want everyone on the ballot to bring their own energy, ideas and work to the campaign. Of course, they have room to run their personal campaigns, but we have internally set rules that apply to everyone - including Pirates. So that a similar effect to the one that occurred during the cooperation with STAN does not happen this time.
Where do you agree with them politically - and where do you see differences?
We agree on the vast majority of things - pro-European orientation, emphasis on liberal values, climate responsibility, protection of human rights. We may have slightly different agendas on some social issues, but we have already clarified these during the primaries. In addition, all the Green Party candidates have committed themselves to acting in accordance with the Pirate Party's programme.
What would you say to a young person who claims that the Pirates "don't have balls"?
It depends on what one means by that. If "having balls" means being tough or knowing how to speak up, then I would say we definitely do.
It may not be obvious at first glance, but in the last term we pushed through a number of important issues in the government - despite the fact that we only had a four-member caucus. Thanks to Ivan Bartos, 5 000 new flats will be built. We managed to push through changes in digitalisation, in education, in housing. For us, it has always been essential to tell the truth, even at the cost of not convincing all voters. But we maintain our integrity. And that, for me, is the real courage.
If the current ruling parties were to come back to power after the elections, could you imagine the Pirates being part of such a coalition again?
It's too early for that now. We don't know what subjects will get into the lower house, in what composition, with what mandate, what their programmatic priorities will be. In general, however, we publish our post-election strategy in a timely manner. In it, we always state that we will not cooperate with extremist parties or persons with a criminal record. The aim of any cooperation must be for us to be able to push our key points - without being blocked. Unfortunately, in the current government, we have clashed on some things precisely because of our coalition partners.
What specific issues would you like to support young people on if you were to get into government again?
Certainly on the subject of affordable housing - not just in general, but also in relation to student accommodation. We have a long-term project called 'Priceless Eggs' which highlights the unaffordability of halls of residence and their poor condition. A lot of young people are living in undignified conditions, sometimes literally with cockroaches, and that has an impact on their decisions about whether they go to university at all. In doing so, we are losing a huge amount of potential - and, as a result, money.
The second major issue is mental health. We see the lack of access to psychological and psychiatric care as a systemic problem that needs to be addressed across departments - education, health, social policy.
What about young working families? Generation Z is already slowly entering the phase of starting families. Do you have specific proposals for them?
Yes. For example, we have advocated for an increase in the parental allowance to CZK 350,000. And we want to go even further - our goal is 420,000 and we also want the parental allowance to be indexed regularly, just like pensions. We also want to restore child tax credits, the tax breaks such as 'nursery fees', which have been abolished, and increase the basic taxpayer's rebate. Young people often do not start families not because they do not want to, but because they simply cannot afford to. We do not want parenthood to be a luxury.
You mentioned mental health as one of your main themes. How would you approach it if you were an MP?
First and foremost, I would build on the 'Mind Your Mind' project that we started in Young Pirates. We have created three specific priorities: the possibility of therapy for minors even without the consent of parents or legal guardians, expanding the capacity of crisis lines, strengthening prevention and adopting a law on psychotherapy. At the same time, we already have a number of analyses and strategies in the Czech Republic - for example, from the Czech Association for Psychotherapy - so there is no need to invent anything new. All that is needed is for politicians to finally start taking these recommendations seriously.
In addition to systemic action, education and destigmatisation are also important - for example, the inclusion of the topic of mental health in school curricula. This is something I would like to actively promote as an MEP.
You are a candidate in the South Bohemia region. What specifically would you like to promote as an MP if you win a mandate?
For my part, I would like to continue along two lines that I have already adopted: mental health and accessible education. Mental health I mentioned - it is a matter of the heart for me, thanks also to my colleague Simon Reizer from the Young Pirates, who has been working on this issue for a long time. The second topic is student repayable grants - a tool that would allow students from less privileged backgrounds to go to university without financial stress. The proposal has been brought up before by our MP Klára Kocmanová and former chair of the Young Pirates Kateřina Stojanová. The grants would be interest-free and would only be repaid when the graduate reaches a certain level of income.
In addition to this, I would like to focus on human rights issues. In my opinion, there is a fear of talking about them in the Czech Republic - partly influenced by what is happening in Hungary, Slovakia and the USA. But unless we who believe in this come forward and start raising these issues again - for example, the issue of marriage for all, the ban on conversion therapy or self-determination for trans people - no one else will.
Last year, an amendment to the Civil Partnership Act was passed that strengthened the rights of same-sex couples. Is that a sufficient step in your view?
Certainly not. The amendment has improved the situation of many rainbow families - for example, in terms of inheritance, representation in sickness or widow's pensions - but it still puts these couples in a second category. The name 'partnership' is itself discriminatory. And the fact that they still cannot adopt a child together is unfair. All available studies say that children raised by gay couples thrive just as well as those in heterosexual families. From my point of view, marriage is not only a symbol of equality for all, but also a practical measure that gives families legal certainty.
Are you worried that if parties like the SPD or the Motorists get into government, the queer community could lose some of its rights?
Unfortunately, yes. It's hard to say what exactly would happen - some parties like to say strong words but then back down in real politics. But if we see the attitudes they take towards queer people - that they label trans people as freaks, that they want to ban marriage or abortion - then just the fact that these views are coming out of the mouths of top politicians has an impact on society.
Such statements reinforce hatred and lead to further questioning of the rights we have already won. Moreover, if their attitude were to be translated into a constitutional level - for example, a ban on same-sex marriage - it would be a serious threat to freedoms.
You also mention events abroad. How do you perceive the shift in the United States, where some companies are backing away from supporting DEI (diversity, equality, inclusion) because of Donald Trump's policies, and where there is increasing pressure on the rights of trans people?
It's scary - and unfortunately we are already feeling it here. Some companies that used to support Pride or diversity are starting to pull back. Also, Czech politics is still heavily influenced by what's happening in the US. Just a few years ago, we heard politicians across the spectrum - from KDU to SPD - openly supporting Donald Trump. This adoption of rhetoric from abroad is dangerous because it distracts from the real problems: unaffordable housing, expensive food, household debt. Instead, people are told that trans people are the biggest threat. And that is absurd.
Budapest Pride was recently banned in Hungary. You yourself have long been involved in Prague Pride in the Czech Republic and the We Are Fair initiative. Should the European Union take a tougher line with Hungary?
It certainly should. The EU has already reacted partially by restricting some payments, but I don't think it is enough. We cannot pretend to be a community of values and yet tolerate systematic human rights violations in one of our member states. And this is not just about the rights of LGBTQ+ people. There is also a strong orientation towards Russia, an authoritarian way of governing, obstruction of EU decisions. Hungary - and partly Slovakia - now see the EU as a cash cow, not as a partnership. The Pirates have long said that we should act more forcefully, perhaps even limiting the veto power that today paralyses the Union. Because of one prime minister, we are not operational and thus lose influence and power vis-à-vis players like China or Russia.
Are you therefore in favour of deeper integration of the European Union?
Yes - especially in areas such as foreign policy, defence or climate strategy. The European Union today does not have one strong leader, each state defends its national interest. I understand that national identity and culture are important, but in crises like the war in Ukraine, this is not enough. If we really want to be a geopolitical player, we must be able to speak with one voice. And we cannot do that without removing the veto.
But in another interview you criticised some aspects of European regulation - for example, ESG reporting. Do you also have a critical view of the EU?
Definitely. We support European cooperation, but that doesn't mean we automatically agree with everything that comes out of Brussels. With ESG reporting, we see mainly unnecessary bureaucracy that burdens small and medium-sized companies in particular. And it is they who are often more sustainable than large multinational corporations. We want the EU to support those who create value and employ people, not just those who are good at filling in spreadsheets.
The issue that some young people are perhaps most interested in is the legalisation of cannabis. Do you expect to finally get it through if you are in government?
We will certainly continue to do so. The amendment to the Criminal Code did succeed in pushing through the possibility of growing cannabis for personal use, but it is still set up in a nonsensical way - for example, so that you can grow more than you are allowed to harvest. Moreover, this often affects the elderly or patients who grow cannabis for salves - and until now have risked heavy penalties for doing so.
There is also a lack of a regulated market, which we believe is crucial - not only for the budget revenue (we estimate 2 to 3 billion), but also to reduce the black market. In the meantime, we would like to at least promote the model of community associations, as in Germany for example - where people share growing within an association and benefit from it without having to grow individually. But in the long term, we will push for support for cannabis associations and a regulated market, which could add up to 3 billion to the budget each year, in addition to legal cultivation for personal use. At the same time, we could better protect children and young people.
In some countries, there is also debate about legalising other substances - 'sponges', for example. What do you think about this?
This is a very sensitive and controversial topic that society is only beginning to understand. But if there are enough enlightened legislators and experts, I am ready to join the debate. After all, the legalisation of psilocybin for therapeutic purposes has already been passed into law, which is an important step. In general, I would be in favour of decriminalisation - that is, not punishing people for carrying small amounts of soft drugs such as mushrooms or LSD. As long as someone is not endangering others, they should be free to make their own decisions about their body.
You are the candidate (number 3) in the South Bohemian region. What would you say to its residents - why should they give you their vote?
I would tell them first of all that I would be really present in the region. In the last four years, I have hardly seen any activity from most of the MPs who have represented the South Bohemian Region. Yet the region has 13 seats in the Chamber of Deputies. I think that a Member of Parliament should not just 'sit in Prague', but should be in contact with the people, return to the region, talk to the citizens and listen to their needs. South Bohemians are a proud region and they deserve to have their voice heard - not only before the elections, but throughout the whole term.
And what would you say to voters across the country?
I would go to the heart of my priorities. I want to be a voice for the younger generation and those whose issues often go overlooked. I want to promote student reimbursable grants as a tool for access to higher education. I want to systematically address the topic of mental health - not just crisis services, but prevention and education. And last but not least, I want to advocate for human rights - from marriage for all to self-determination for trans people, including constitutionally enshrining the right to abortion. For me, politics should not only reflect the majority view, but also protect those who are more vulnerable. And that is what I want to contribute to.
