AD welcomes withdrawal of court cases over voting eligibility

Alternattiva Demokratika has welcomed the Malta Labour Party's decision to withdraw court cases on the voting eligibility of people who have been abroad for some time.

The party said in a statement it was calling on the MLP to withdraw all other applications aimed at depriving voters from their right to vote because this is an invasion of privacy.

"It was positive that the PN did not present any applications this time round after attempting to strike a large number of elderly people from the electoral register last year.

"It is now also positive that the MLP has acknowledged its mistake by partially withdrawing its applications. It is a pity that hundreds of people were dragged to the law courts, only to find that the MLP has repented on its mistakes," party leader Harry Vassallo said.

"We are satisfied that Arnold Cassola's victory in the Constitutional Court has been a victory for all the Maltese and Gozitan people.

The new definition of residence given by the Constitutional Court has weakened the case of political apparatckiks bent on using their inquisitorial apparatus to deprive voters from their right to vote. It is time that all political parties learn to treat voters as full European citizens with full freedom of movement," Dr Vassallo concluded.