IIP citizens may opt to give up voting rights in return for absence from electoral register

People who acquire Maltese citizenship under the Individual Investor Programme (IIP) may soon be able to give up their voting rights in return for their details not showing up on the electoral registry.

Justice minister Owen Bonnici announced that Identity Malta and the Electoral Commission are discussing this possibility during ongoing negotiations, that the minister himself is leading, over a legal dispute.

“The two sides are understanding each other’s positions more and more, and discussions are heading in a positive direction,” Bonnici said.

The Electoral Commission has filed a judicial letter demanding that Identity Malta inform it of any new Maltese citizens who are given a vote. Bonnici later announced that he will take on the role of mediator to reconcile the differences between the two institutions.

In a statement, Bonnici vehemently denied that the government is trying to conceal the identities of IIP citizebs – noting that their names are published in the Government Gazette every year, along with all other naturalized Maltese citizens.

He vehemently denied a Times of Malta report that mediation attempts between the Electoral Commission and Identity Malta have failed. The Times quoted Chef Electoral Commissioner Joe Church as saying that mediation attempts have failed and that the matter would now be in the hands of the lawyers of the two entities.

However, Bonnici said that the newspaper had not even asked him for a reaction before publishing the story and that it had completely misquoted Joe Church.

“I am informed that [Church] has already categorically denied that he said what had been quoted and has requested the Times to clarify this.”