PL objects to additional two seats for Nationalist Party

The Labour Party this morning officially objected with the Electoral Commission after the Nationalist Party was given two extra seats in Parliament.

Carm Mifsud Bonnici and Frederick Azzopardi were given the seats to make up for the proportional loss in the electoral districts set-up.

Labour won 37 seats in Saturday’s election against the Nationlist Party’s 28, which included Marlene Farrugia, leader of Partit Demokratiku, under the Forza Nazzjonali coalition.

The nine-seat gap was bigger in proportion than the 35,000 margin in the election results, according to provisions in the Constitution which state that the proportion must not be less than five or more than seven. Thus, a constitutional proviso allowing for additional seats came into force.

This morning, the Labour Party objected to this decision, claiming that the additional seats should not be assigned as the conditions stipulated in the Act were not met.

The act stipulates that the proportionality mechanism can only be implemented if there is only one minority party.

The PL noted that although PD contested under the PN ticket, the party consistently distinguished itself as a separate party.

“While Marelene Farrugia was elected under the PN ticket, she is registered with the Electoral Commission as Partit Demokratiku leader, and not a member of the Nationalist Party,” PL delegate Louis Gatt said in an official letter to the commission.

The PL requested the Electoral Commission to cancel its decision to allot two extra seats to the PN.