Amendment to enable early voting

The government is to amend the electoral law to enable Malta residents who will be absent during the June 6 European Parliament election to cast their vote a week earlier.

The idea of allowing voting to take place a week before the EP elections was first mentioned in January when the Nationalist Party called on the government to amend the law.

In a second letter to the Electoral Commissioner, released to the media yesterday, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said he disagreed with the Electoral Commission's suggestion to charter a plane to bring to Malta the athletes participating in the Small Nations' Games.

This approach would be discriminatory against all those who were abroad for other reasons that may be job, health or education-related.

The Commission had proposed bringing the athletes to vote on election day, and flying them back. This suggestion was made after the Malta Olympic Committee asked for a solution so that about 120 athletes and officials taking part in the games would be able to vote.

The Labour Party had suggested flying a ballot box to Cyprus in the morning of election day and then bringing it back in the afternoon.

In a second letter, Dr Gonzi informed the Electoral Commissioner that Air Malta would be issuing return tickets at a reduced price for eligible voters according to the system used during the 2004 EP elections.

Back then, Air Malta issued the return tickets at €35 (Lm15) per ticket, exclusive of taxes, to eligible voters. Dr Gonzi said that eligible voters had to be listed on the latest electoral register, which had not yet been issued. Therefore, the airline could not start preparations before the register was issued.

The Labour Party had said it would like to start a debate so that Maltese eligible to vote and living abroad would, as from 2010, be able to exercise their right in Malta's embassies a day before the election.