Anthony Cachia Castelletti, Ta' Xbiex
Allowing Maltese athletes to vote (1)
The Nationalist Party had proposed that the Maltese contingent for the Small Nations Games, and any other person who takes an oath that they will be away from Malta during polling day, be allowed to vote in the June 6 election before they leave Malta. The Labour Party has come out with its own proposal.
Suggesting that the contingent for the Small Nations Games (excluding all others) votes in Cyprus, it has asked the Electoral Commission to charter a plane to carry a ballot box, the Commission's officials and the parties' representatives.
First of all may I remind the Labour Party that some voters will be casting two different ballots. According to our Electoral Law these two votes cannot be cast in the same ballot box. So, besides the MEP ballot box or boxes (I am not sure if these need to be one or 13) there may be as many as 22 boxes for the local council elections.
Furthermore, the different disciplines of the Small Nations Games will be held in different cities in Cyprus. According to the Electoral Law, voting hours must last from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. So, once the voting hours are stipulated in the Electoral Law, the Commission will have to charter two planes carrying double the amount of ballot boxes to be delivered to two different cities.
Manpower needed to supervise voting is another problem with Labour's ludicrous suggestion. Each contesting party, the independent ones too, have the right to send hundreds of their agents to monitor the voting process and accompany and follow each ballot box.
So, apart from the up to 70 boxes or so, each chartered plane will be carrying hundreds of party "agents".
One final query: Will the party agents and the Commission officials also be allowed to vote in Cyprus? And what about the journalists or family members accompanying the Maltese contingent, will they be allowed to cast their votes in Cyprus too?
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L..Galea
Feb 23rd 2009, 22:36
How about renewing all the ID cards so that only those who have a right to vote will be able to vote?
The fact that they have not been renewed and their validity has been extended for the umpteenth time only raises suspicion that there are many ID cards that had been issued to persons who are not entitled to vote, giving rise to gerrymandering in all elections.
I suggest to the PL and other parties to boycott all elections if ID cards are not renewed.
This would expose the Gonezipn for what it is.
J Martinelli
Feb 23rd 2009, 14:47
Why cannot the Electoral Law be amended to permit Advance polling?
No one seems to want to address this very simple remedy practiced by most countries when one can vote as much as two weeks prior to election day.
Gerard Cassar
Feb 23rd 2009, 11:39
It is not a question of boxes 80 or more according to your faulty reasoning. A single box the most two boxes are enough. Votes are then sorted out in Malta on the appropriate day. So simple but so complicated for some who want to make their presence felt.