Ignored but not yet over, AD insists
Alternattiva Demokratika, the Green Party is evaluating all legal avenues to contest what it claims is a discriminatory electoral system after the judicial protest it filed 10 days ago was ignored by the major parties, according to leader Michael Briguglio.
"The two major parties have shown they are not interested in having a truly representative democracy but the story will not end here," Mr Briguglio said.
The judicial protest was filed against the Prime Minister, the Opposition Leader, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Attorney General, claiming the electoral law gave no chance to small parties to elect a candidate and was, therefore, discriminatory.
The protest remained unanswered when the statutory 10-day period in which a reply could be submitted expired yesterday.
AD said the Nationalist Party was awarded extra parliamentary seats in the last general election to secure its slim majority while no seats were awarded to the Green Party, which polled 3,800 votes, more than double the difference in votes between the major parties.
"It is premature to say when we will take our next step but there are various avenues, such as the Constitutional Court and EU institutions," Mr Briguglio said, insisting AD did not want a situation where the major parties made last-minute piecemeal changes to the electoral system.
He criticised the stand taken by both parties reserving harsher words for the Labour Party, which completely brushed off the issue, insisting it was not a priority.
"(Prime Minister) Lawrence Gonzi said our argument made no sense but the almost 4,000 voters who chose AD were discriminated against because they were denied representation while the PN's majority of 1,500 was rewarded by additional seats," Mr Briguglio said.
He described Labour's attitude as a "throwback to the 1980s because it only viewed the electoral system as a technical exercise and not as a democratic tool".
Labour had said electoral reform was not a priority as much as the validation of ID cards to make sure that only people eligible to vote did so at election time.
Mr Briguglio hit out at what he described as Labour "infantile" attitude when it pulled out of the parliamentary select committee discussing important issues, such as electoral reform and political party financing.
Mr Briguglio reiterated AD's stand in favour of a mixed electoral system like Germany's where candidates could get elected either from districts, as was the case today, or made it to Parliament if their party secured a national threshold of 2.5 per cent.
"Electoral reform is a top priority for the Green party's executive and we will not let the issue fade away," Mr Briguglio insisted.
Popular Stories
Old buses, drivers to return
Former Judge Ray Pace found dead
Updated: Minister apologises for...
Three new Nationalist MPs elected –...
Where’s Everybody staff is given notice
Updated - Director of Prisons submits...
Update 4 - Eddie Fenech Adami stable...
Update 3 - Woman trapped as car crashes...
Revealed...the face of a Maltese woman...
In Discussion
Old buses, drivers to return
Updated: Minister apologises for...
PL reacts as PN labels Franco Debono's...
Updated - Director of Prisons submits...
Enemalta seeking minimum five year gas...
Protected birds shot and trapped as...
Mario de Marco, Zammit Dimech concede,...
PN postpones salaries as financial...
Updated - PM's offer to Opposition MPs...
7 Comments
Post comment
Please sign in or create your Account to post comments.
Carmel Cacopardo
Jul 6th 2010, 12:13
@LGalea.
You are incorrect.
In 2008 AD obtained 3810 first count votes, equivalent to 1.31%.
lgalea
Jul 6th 2010, 13:33
Carmel Cacopardo, Michael Briguglio
http://www.maltadata.com/party01.htm
Ashes on my head and wearing a sack cloth because I copied AN instead of AD for 2008.
Moses Mula re other countries, all countries have different systems and I am sure the vast majority of Maltese citizens of whatever political spectrum do not want Malta to end up like Italy where they have a change in government every year so to speak because they are dependent on many small political parties. Perhaps the people saw the light when we had so many parties in the 1960's.
As for illegal immigrants, you should perhaps tell your Swedish Commissioner Cecilia
Malmström to put her money where her mouth is and not send the illegal immigrants back to Malta. At least her country where you are living is much bigger than Malta.
Dion Borg
Jul 6th 2010, 15:33
Mr. Galea
Why always mention Italy when coalitions are being discussed? Was Malta in any ideal state in 1980's with one party government?
Hope you have heard of Germany and the coalitions they have enjoyed sometimes even with the Greens being directly involved.
This shows that rather than coalitions or not - it is the integrity and capabilities of the politicians and also the sensible choices of the electorate that enables a country to develop and tap on opportunities.
With a PL and PN alternating absolute governments we will get more of the same self-defeating policies and short-term strategies that hinder rather than boost our country's development (comapred to our peers).
lgalea
Jul 6th 2010, 16:49
Mr Borg, you are doing a great disservice to the PN whose leaders say that they saved Malta during those years. And was not the PN also in Parliament in the 1980 except when they did not attend and generously the Labour Government whom they used to call a dictatorship co-opted them again? Would a dictatorship do that?
As you say Mr Borg it is the integrity and capabilities of the politicians and also the sensible choices of the electorate that enables a country to develop and tap on opportunities, and, may I add to that, not having an unstable government depending on the whims of a coalition.
As for citing Italy, everybody does that because it is the classical example of unstable coalition governments.
Good day Mr Borg.
lgalea
Jul 6th 2010, 11:32
AD votes at General Elections
1992 4,186 1.69%
1996 3,820 1.46%
1998 3,208 1.21%
2003 1,929 0.68%
2008 1,461 0.5%
Moses Mula
Jul 6th 2010, 11:51
Your point being? In some democracies you only need a small percentage to be represented in parliament. In sweden for example you need 4%. If, let us say that it was like that in Malta there would be more people who would vote for small parties like AD as they would know that their vote could make a bigger difference. God forbid, even one of the parties with anti-immigration leanings, like yourself, could be voted in parliament, but that is the downside of democracy.
Michael Briguglio
Jul 6th 2010, 12:01
Get your facts right Mr Bugeja.
AD got 3,810 votes, ie 1.31% in the last general elections.
Given that you do not even have the courage to show your full name I am not surprised by your cowardly act of deception.
Please choose the reason of your report below: