Following its 2015 election bid, the Pirate Party of Finland has revealed unprecedented Bitcoin support since its initial decision to accept the cryptocurrency for its campaign.
The party, whose aims include wider use of Bitcoin at state level, was unexpectedly inundated with donations following a blog post by member Janne Paalijärvi on Finland’s main exchange Bittiraha in March.
Despite the April elections having come to a close on Sunday, almost 5,000 euros worth of BTC was deposited in the party’s wallet following publication, making for a total of 10,000 EUR for 2015. In contrast, donations from all channels for 2014 came to 4,000 EUR, a press release issued today states. Paalijärvi wrote in a follow-up post:
“We were positively surprised by the considerable electoral donations, but despite this now is not the time for showing off.”
He added that the funds would be used to further the party’s campaign work.
Finnish election rules state that parties may not accept more than 1,500 EUR in anonymous donations per year. However, since Bitcoin is not officially recognized, nor has been explicitly mentioned in the ruling, the party’s donations are presently something of a gray area and a cause for legal concerns.
While the Pirates remain the largest party in Finland outside parliament following the weekend’s elections, its young age compared to many of the other parties coupled with the impressive funding demonstrates an interest in radical innovation, which is swiftly marking Finland out as a land of opportunity.
The country’s open stance on bitcoin trading, as well as its tax-free VAT policy, have helped ensure a lively infrastructure including BTMs and even a well-documented revival of physical bitcoins in addition to names such as Bittiraha.
Official feedback from the Pirates meanwhile, following the end of the campaign, is still forthcoming, with official election statistics due to be published April 30.