High turnout in hunters’ districts raises hopes of ‘yes’ victory

Malta and Gozo yesterday came out to vote for a historic referendum to decide on whether to abrogate the government’s derogation from the EU’s spring hunting ban, in a battle between conservationists and ‘traditionalists’ that will be decided today.

The official voter turnout was 75%, a higher turnout than in the 2011 divorce referendum of 72%, with marked increases in ‘hunter districts’ like the thirteenth Gozo district, and the Labour strongholds of the fifth, sixth, and seventh districts.

Urban heartlands and harbour districts in the first, second and third districts registered reductions of three, two, and four percentage points over 2011. The eighth and tenth districts registered a drop of one percentage point both, while turnout was unchanged over 2011 in the ninth and twelfth district.

Also yesterday, voting took place in 34 local councils, most of them Labour-led councils, which served as a gauge of the national interest in the spring hunting referendum.

Districts like the ‘blue’ tenth, which includes Sliema, saw a turnout of 70%, a drop of one point over 2011, suggesting that voters with no council to vote for still made the effort to vote in the referendum.

President Marie Louise Coleiro Preca, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, Opposition leader Simon Busuttil, Alternattiva Demokratika chairperson Arnold Cassola and SHout spokeswoman Moira Delia cast their vote on Saturday morning. No media invitation was issued to cover any of the Yes spokespersons as they cast their votes.