PN amenable to voting in embassies but lays down conditions

The Nationalist Party agrees that Maltese living abroad should be able to vote in embassies but two conditions have to be met before any changes are prospected.

“The PN is in favour of updating the electoral system to allow more options that facilitate the right to vote,” a spokesperson said when asked about a proposal floated recently by European Parliament President Roberta Metsola.

The conditions include a reform of the composition and manner by which the Electoral Commission is appointed to ensure it is “truly independent and autonomous from the government of the day”.

The second condition is that the commission regains possession of the documentation required to update the electoral registers. This used to be done in the past when the commission had control over the identity cards process, something that was eventually hived off to Identity Malta.

“The commission needs to have control of the documentation that enables it to update the electoral registers and this should be done with full participation of the political parties,” the PN spokesperson told MaltaToday.

He added that the PN was always willing to consider any proposal as long as it leads to just elections that are free from illegal acts.

In an interview with Lovin Malta, Metsola criticised the fact that at each election Maltese voters who are abroad have to hop on a flight to Malta to be able to vote. She called for an electoral system that allowed Maltese who are working, studying or receiving medical treatment abroad to vote in Maltese embassies.

The two major political parties, which traditionally have strong oversight on elections, have always been sceptical of such a move.

But now it appears the PN has softened its approach albeit imposing two significant conditions.

In the 2022 general election, the scheme offering subsidised flights to voters residing overseas cost public coffers €1.9 million. Subsidised flights from major European airports have been offered since the 1992 general election. But with Malta joining the EU in 2004, the number of Maltese voters residing overseas has seen a steady increase.

Changing the electoral system to be able to vote in Maltese embassies abroad would also require new provisions that do away with the voting document.

Voters cannot use their ID card as a means of identification when voting but have to produce a voting document published specifically for that election. These voting documents are distributed door-to-door by the police, which would be impractical for overseas voters.