Coalition targeting March 2015 spring hunting referendum

The Coalition Against Spring Hunting will be holding a meeting with the Electoral Commission next week and demand that the timeframes for the spring hunting referendum are kept.

This week, the President of the Republic approved the Electoral Commission’s request to extend the time needed to verify the 44,000 signatures collected by the Coalition Against Spring Hunting (CASH) by three months.

CASH spokesperson Steve Micklewright told MaltaToday that the extension should not derail the coalition’s plans to hold the referendum in March 2015.

“We’ll be meeting the Electoral Commission next week and we’ll ask for guarantees that everything is on schedule. We’re keen to keep the process going and ensure that the referendum coincides with the local council elections scheduled for March 2015,” Micklewright said.

The Electoral Commission was granted the three-month extension after realising that it would be humanly impossible to meet the 15-day deadline imposed by law, which expired yesterday.

The coalition, made up of 11 organisations including BirdLife Malta and Alternattiva Demokratika, collected enough signatures needed to call for a referendum.

The Law holds that a petition calling for a referendum to abrogate a law has to be signed by 10% of all eligible voters, equating to around 34,000 signatures.

Speaking to MaltaToday, Alternattiva Demokratika deputy chairperson Carmel Cacopardo said the coalition only got to know about the extension this week, confirming that a meeting with the commission will be held next week.

“Although we were never told that the commission would request an extension, it was evident that they were scratching their heads over the verification process given the European Parliament election commitments and the lack of staff,” Cacopardo said.

While noting that the coalition will demand access to the verification process, which includes the arduous task of comparing the signatures to the ID card database, Cacopardo said that the coalition would be insisting that timelines are respected.

Once the verification process is complete, opponents can challenge the referendum request over procedural matters.

Hunters’ federation CEO Lino Farrugia this week warned that an abrogative referendum on spring hunting would set a dangerous precedent for “all minorities.”

Federazzjoni Kaccaturi Nassaba u Konservazzjonisti (FKNK) president Joe Perici Calascione even expressed his confidence that the proposed referendum would not be approved, and called on MPs to “ignore” the 40,000 signatures collected by CASH.

“Referendums should only be allowed when they regard national issues and not matters which only concern minorities… We warned that this was a dangerous precedent. What’s next? Civil unions, fireworks?”

Spring hunting season opens

The spring hunting season officially opened yesterday, with BirdLife monitoring teams in the countryside claiming that teams on their watch points were greeted with the sound of gunfire.

This year’s spring hunting season in Malta is open from the 12 to 30 April, both days included. The BirdLife Spring Watch team has been active from the 9 April.

“This was the morning we were all dreading,” BirdLife stated yesterday on its blog.

“The legal hunting has begun, however only two species are huntable: the Turtle Dove and the Quail.

“The one thing none of us want to witness is the illegal hunting of any protected bird species. And even just after the first session this morning, we are already seeing protected bird species with gunshot injuries.”

BirdLife posted posted photos of three Night Herons seen flying over Ghadira Bay one with a dangling leg, an injury from a gun shot.

In the Wardija area, a Marsh Harrier was spotted circling high above with an injury to the left wing, another injury from a gun shot.

“In Gozo the gunfire was having a bigger impact. A Cuckoo was illegally shot and killed. The Cuckoo is a rare breeder in Malta, with the last chick being recorded in 2009, however this may not be the case if these birds were not targeted,” BirdLife said.

“Our teams also heard instances of modified shotguns and electronic lures being used, both of which are illegal activities. Let’s see what else tomorrow brings.”