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What
is the Electoral Register?
The Register
is nothing more than a complete directory of every person in Malta,
over the age of 18. It is divided according to localities and lists
the name and surname of the eligible voter, the address of residence
and the ID Card number. The Register is updated twice a year, in October
and April. It is the Electoral Commission’s responsibility to ensure
that the Register is kept up to date. Only persons listed in the Register
are entitled to vote in an election.
Who
appoints the Electoral Commission?
The Commission is composed of eight members and a chairman. The President
of Malta appoints the Commission, after consulting the Prime Minister.
Generally, Government nominates four members and the Chairman, while
the Opposition nominates the remaining four members.
What
reference does the Constitution make to voter registration?
Section 57 of the Constitution outlines three criteria that a person
needs to satisfy to be considered a registered voter:
1. A voter must be a citizen of Malta
2. he/she must have attained the age of 18
3. he/she must be resident in Malta and has during the 18 months, immediately
preceding the registration been a resident for a continuous period of
six months or for periods amounting in the aggregate of six months.
What
is Labour saying?
The Labour Party is questioning three aspects of the electoral registration
process, which primarily are concerned with the proof of residency.
1. The removal of the Embarkation Card has created difficulty when ascertaining
the length of time a person has been away from the Island.
2. Dual citizenship criteria may result in people entering the country
with a passport and exiting using a different passport. This makes it
difficult to verify the condition of residency.
3. The number of expired ID Cards that have not been renewed since a
new system is in the offing is creating difficulty to ascertain the
validity of the electoral register.
What is Government saying?
The Electoral Commission’s first duty is to ensure that no Maltese
citizen is refused the right to vote, unless for reasons specified by
law. Government is insisting that the removal of the embarkation cards
for Maltese citizens who travel abroad is an administrative decision
that brings Malta on a par with other civilised countries. Government
does not agree with the use of embarkation cards to control the movements
of Maltese citizens abroad. The controversy was also described as a
smokescreen. To hide what?
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local
news
Electoral system controversy heats
up
By Kurt
Sansone
While the Labour Party
is promising to escalate its actions if nothing is done to rectify
what it claims are serious doubts on the validity of the electoral
register, MaltaToday is informed that President Guido De Marco
has held talks with the Chief Electoral Commissioner.
The Office
of the President confirmed with MaltaToday that, in accordance
with his Constitutional responsibilities, President Guido De Marco
received the Chief Electoral Commissioner. They discussed the
issues raised by the Labour Party, however no further details
were forthcoming on the outcome of the meeting.
The controversy,
which was described by the Deputy Prime Minister, Lawrence Gonzi
as a smokescreen, came to a head on Thursday with the resignation
of four electoral commissioners appointed by the Labour Party.
Dr Anna Mallia, Dr Joseph Buttigieg, Mr Vincent Camilleri and
Mr Denis Cauchi, resigned because of what they claimed was a lack
of will by the Electoral Commission to pressure Government to
give the Commission the necessary resources to ensure the validity
of the electoral register.
It is not
yet clear how the situation is going to be resolved. In a letter
the Prime Minister sent to the four electoral commissioners, he
stressed that the Commission’s primary role is to ensure
that every Maltese citizen eligible to vote is not deprived of
this right. Prime Minister Fenech Adami said that he could not
understand the preoccupation expressed by the four electoral commissioners.
In an attempt
to break down the issues at stake, MaltaToday is publishing a
question and answer:
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