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Is it the calm before the storm?

MaltaToday talks to the Labour Party’s Michael Falzon over the electoral issues raised by the party

By Kurt Sansone

The Labour Party’s decision on Friday to continue the discussions with the Nationalist Party over electoral law reform, in spite of the controversy that erupted this week, can be described as the calm before the storm, unless the situation is resolved in time for the next general election.

The Labour Party’s national executive on Friday declared that it will continue the discussions while reiterating its dismay at the Prime Minister’s decision to appoint four electoral commissioners to replace the four that had resigned.

The decision came hot on the heels of the Bishops’ statement expressing concern at the charged political climate over the electoral commission issue among others.

However, even though the Labour Party has opted to continue the discussions, the time frames are so tight that the situation may eventually boil over closer to election time.

Speaking to MaltaToday, the Labour Party’s delegate to the Electoral Commission, Dr Michael Falzon said that the party wants the impasse to be solved before the next general election or referendum.

He stressed "if we go to an election in the present circumstances and with the current composition of the Electoral Commission, the atmosphere would certainly not be the same as the 1996 and 1998 elections."

Dr Falzon described the Prime Minister’s decision to appoint four new members to the commission as a sign of government’s arrogance. "It was the Prime Minister who invited the Labour Party to start discussions on the reforms. We accepted and it is strange that while discussions were still going on the Prime Minister went on to appoint four people."

Dr Falzon said that the Electoral Commission is now composed of eight people who enjoy the trust of only one party. "Dr Fenech Adami did not need to appoint another four people because as the Commission stood - with four members and a chairman - it could still function constitutionally."

The four electoral commissioners, which had been appointed by the Labour Party had resigned their posts following what they claimed was the Commission’s inability to verify the electoral register.

Elaborating on the Labour Party’s concerns over the validity of the electoral process, Dr Falzon highlighted the four main issues raised by the party in April this year, in a memorandum that was sent to the Commission.

"Our first major concern is the elimination of embarkation cards, which has left the Commission with no alternative tool to verify the condition of residency as stipulated in the Constitution," Dr Falzon explained.

He made it clear that the party is not advocating the return of embarkation cards. "It is not difficult to introduce an electronic swipe system for passports," he remarked.

Dr Falzon pointed out that the Commission had written twice to government over the problem raised by the embarkation cards removal. Without any tracking system on the movements of Maltese nationals to and from foreign countries, the Electoral Commission can not ascertain whether a voter is eligible or not.

The Labour Party’s second concern is the renewal of the official identity card. Dr Falzon estimated a total of 180,000 expired ID cards.

"Both parties had agreed to on this matter way back in 1998. For some reason or another, the Commission did not start the renewal process, which will definitely take around 18 months to complete," he reiterated while admitting that the Commission also had Labour Party representatives on it.

Dr Falzon did not mince his words. "The Commission is solely to blame on this matter. The renewal process has to start immediately and must be complete before a general election or referendum."

The third point of contention is the Electoral Commission’s inability to verify the electoral register. "The Commission has indirectly admitted that the electoral register is not ‘correct’ by eliminating the word from its official press releases," Dr Falzon said.
He emphasised that the electoral register must be verified to ensure a clean and transparent electoral process.

The last concern raised by the Labour Party regards the issue of dual citizenship. "Let me make it clear that the Labour Party is in favour of making Maltese citizenship widely available. In fact we had voted in favour of the law in Parliament. However, this has created a new strain on the verification process of the electoral register," Dr Falzon reiterated.

The Electoral Commission had also expressed its pre-occupation on the matter.

"All that the Labour Party wants is to ensure that the Electoral Commission be able to fulfill its legal and Constitutional obligations," Dr Falzon commented. He continued, "I do not think we are asking for much when we say we want a fair and clean election."