The House of Representatives last night approved through all stages a Bill amending the electoral law so that eligible voters who declare that they will be abroad on polling day at general, local or European Parliament elections may vote on the Saturday before.

Winding up the debate on second reading, Foreign Minister Tonio Borg said the criticism by the Opposition had been unexpected. The Opposition, for some reason, had come up with an array of excuses to oppose these amendments, insisting they be linked to other changes.

Referring to the speech by Opposition leader Joseph Muscat last week, Dr Borg said that while the Opposition leader had criticized voting at St Vincent de Puale Home, it was worth pointing out that at the last elections, voting at the Home was under the responsibility of a ember of the Electoral Commission nominated on the recommendation of the Labour Party.

Nurses on duty on polling day were chosen equally from those enjoying the confidence of both parties.

Other objections by Dr Muscat were also ridiculous, Dr Borg said. For example, it was not serious to say that there should not be early voting because of the day of reflection on the eve of polling day. Most countries had this system. They even allowed postal voting. And the day of reflection was not a Constitutional requirement.

And it was about time that the PL stopped blaming Maltese who came to vote from abroad as the reason for its general elections defeat. The PL’s own analysis showed otherwise.

Labour had argued that early voting should be limited only to those who were abroad representing the country, such as athletes at the Small Nations Games. But what about those who went abroad to work or to study?

It was also not fair, he said, to link one’s right to vote with whether he or she paid income tax, as Dr Muscat had indicated. There were people who did not pay tax but who were eligible to vote. There were others who lived abroad but had the right to vote because they would have been away from the islands for less than a year.

Another PL condition for was ID cards to be renewed by June 6. Dr Borg said the Maltese did not need their ID cards to vote. The voting document was the only mandatory identification.

The bill was later given a second reading, the opposition voting against. It was also approved through all other stages after Opposition amendments were rejected.

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