Changes only through constitutional amendment

The Prime Minister has received legal advice that any change to present rules on prisoners' right to vote would require a constitutional amendment with the backing of a two-thirds majority of Parliament.

Answering a question by Opposition Leader Joseph Muscat, Dr Lawrence Gonzi said such a proposal would fit in well with the work of the standing committee currently studying what changes needed to be made to the Constitution. Dr Muscat had asked for the government's reaction to the recent UK decision on prisoners' voting rights, in the light of the situation in Malta where anyone serving a prison sentence of more than one year could not vote.

Dr Gonzi said Malta had made progress on this issue when it removed the application of this prohibition to those on a suspended sentence.