Parliament approves motion for slight changes to electoral boundaries
Over 2,500 voters will be impacted by the changes proposed by the Electoral Commission to address population changes in some of the electoral districts
1 February 2021, 7:04pm
Nicole Meilak
Nicole Meilak
2 min read
The changes to electoral boundaries will impact a couple of thousand voters in the 6th, 7th, 10th and 12th districts.
Parliament has approved a proposal by the Electoral Commission that will revise electoral boundaries to reflect population changes.
The motion will see 1,320 voters from Żebbuġ transferred from the 7th District to the 6th District, affecting roads bordering Qormi and within the Ħal Mula area.
Another 1,219 voters from Naxxar will be moved from the 12th District to the 10th, impacting several streets near the Naxxar primary school.
These changes were put forward by the Electoral Commission in line with the legal obligation to ensure that each district in Malta had to have between 25,576 and 28,268 voters.
The exercise carried out last year showed that the 7th and 12th Districts exceeded this limit by 1,817 and 1,699 voters respectively.
The Electoral Commission’s report had been tabled in parliament on the 23 November, together with a minority report drafted by PN representatives who were pushing for a more radical change in the composition of election districts.
The proposal put forward by the PN would have seen Paola and Santa Luċija join the 1st District, while Attard and Mosta join the 7th. The 3rd District would have been completely overhauled, with the inclusion of Gudja, Għaxaq, Kirkop, Luqa, Mqabba and Safi in replacement of Marsaskala and Marsaxlokk.
The PN representatives argued that such amendments would help minimise post-election adjustments through the awarding of additional seats.
READ ALSO: Radical overhaul of election districts proposed by PN representatives on Electoral Commission
However, when the motion came up for debate and a vote today, the PN voted in favour of the minimal changes proposed by the Electoral Commission, disregarding the minority report penned by its own representatives on the commission.
The Electoral Commission is obliged by law to review the boundaries of electoral districts no less than every two years, but no more than every five years, to ensure that each district roughly represent the same populations.
Gozo, the 13th District, is considered a distinct district no matter how big or small its population is.
Nicole Meilak is deputy online editor and IĠM press awards (Most Promising Journalist) wi...
