House adjourned to October 1 - Electoral Law reforms rushed through
Updated 9.08 p.m.
The House of Representatives was this evening adjourned to October 1.
The adjournment motion was moved by Foreign Minister Tonio Borg, Leader of the House, who wished a happy summer to all MPs.
Earlier today, reforms to the Electoral Law were rushed through parliament with approval by both sides.
The amendments started being debated late yesterday and were approved this evening.
They provide, among other things, for a rolling electoral register and voting in hospitals and homes for the elderly.
The rolling register means that all those who turn 18 up to a few days before election date will be able to vote.
The Bill was moved by Justice Minster Chris Said and was today approved on second reading, committee and third reading.
Dr Said the amendments would mean less hardship to hospital patients and residents of old people's homes and fewer logistical worries for the staff.
He said that the introduction of the rolling register would mean that the number of voters would rise by some 2,700 young people.
Another amendment, the minister said, provided that all those registered to vote in Gozo but residing in Malta, could pick up their voting document in Malta following a written request. This also applied for Maltese registered to vote in Malta but who ordinarily lived in Gozo.
Dr Said said the restricted area which surrounds a polling station, which currently stands at some 50 metres, would be considerably reduced unless the Electoral Commission felt that radius was justified.
Opposition spokesman for home affairs Michael Falzon said this in effect was a government living its sunset days. He agreed with the rolling register concept.
He suggested that voting in hospitals should be held on the eve of the general election, or even further in advance, although this should be discussed at committee stage. Dr Falzon also agreed with the reduction in the restricted area around polling stations.
In committee stage, Dr Said introduced an amendment by which voters registered as patients in St Vincent de Paule Home would vote the day before the election between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m.
Dr Falzon agreed with the amendment. He requested the minister to clarify whether patients registered at the other hospitals would be given the option to vote in the said hospitals or whether they would be obliged to vote there if they decided to vote.
Dr Said said that to avoid confusion, they should vote in hospital.
The minister introduced a new clause which requires political clubs that are situated within 50 metres of a polling station to be closed.
Dr Falzon remarked that had the amendments not be introduced in a hurry, both parties would have had been able to improve other issues such as “the ridiculous situation” where an election candidate had to declare that he did not exceed the campaign limit.
Dr Said that that while there was a need for further changes, the amendment referred to by Dr Falzon would have to be made to another ordinance.
The Bill was then given a third reading.
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31 Comments
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john muscat
Jul 11th 2012, 10:59
And our spendthrift govt. is throwing away more than 80 million € on a vacant parliament most of the year with parliamentarians taking holidays more than a millionaire. Hallas cuc Malti bit taxxi .
Doris Farrugia
Jul 11th 2012, 08:58
And what about the expired ID cards?Are we going to use them again?If there's going to be the updating of ID cards, even if the general election is going to be let's say late next year I think the process won't be ready knowing how things go here in Malta.'Nice and Slow'!
Charles Micallef
Jul 11th 2012, 08:52
12 weeks holidays, must be the longest holiday break afforded to any parliament anywhere!
Mr Emanuel Farrugia
Jul 11th 2012, 08:37
"The adjournment motion was moved by Foreign Minister Tonio Borg, Leader of the House, who wished a happy summer to all MPs".
Happy summer holidays to all MPs BISS, ghax dawk huma tal-klikka; ara lil poplu malti le, lil poplu malti tkomplu tippruvaw tghaddu z-zmine bih. Dawn huma 'l membri parlamentari li ghandu dan 'l pajjiz. Halluna nghixu.
Emanuel Farrugia former Executive Secretary Mtarfa Local Council
John Zarb
Jul 11th 2012, 08:30
The most important thing has not been changed: THE ISSUE OF NEW I.D. CARDS
We still have I.D. cards expired and people living abroad and not paying taxes in Malta can still vote.
Dik imissek rajt Dr. Falzon!!!!!!!
Anthony Pace
Jul 11th 2012, 08:24
Only in Malta do MPs take three months off.! Most EU countries stop at the end of July just for August and resume in September. No wonder nothing ever gets done.
M Saliba
Jul 11th 2012, 08:17
1 month Christmas recess, 1 month Easter recess, more than two and a half months summer recess. By the end of the year parliament will have had about 5 months of recess. !?
B Ellul
Jul 11th 2012, 08:16
For all the regular professors who post on this web site.... Parliament stopped, the gov ministers do not close or take a break in Summer....
j brincat
Jul 11th 2012, 08:06
Suddenly GonziPN is so rushy!
Meanwhile, the IVF, co-habitation, gay marriages etc. bills have remained on the shelf gathering more dust.
(jb)
B. Storace
Jul 11th 2012, 07:39
So our ministers are happy with the local situation and can hop off the leaking boat to enjoy a couple of months of doing nothing. Am I to understand that we are once again OUT of the recession; is this why they can drop everything and go for a swim.
N. Bill Camilleri
Jul 11th 2012, 04:07
Do they get paid for the next 11 weeks? No wonder politicians are more interested in pointing out problems then fixing them. They don't get paid to fix problems - they get paid to get re-elected and that is all they are interested in.
Edward Farrugia
Jul 11th 2012, 02:07
A representation in Parliament exceeding two parties with a third part electing one candidate creates, in my opinion, a stagnant situation holding the whole affair of governance to ransom.and blackmailing tactics This has been the case with elements unethically breaking away from the PN Government 's ranks playing havoc with it at will. This could have been the case affecting the LP were they to be in the driving seat. We need not to venture far beyond our shores to encounter countries like Italy where a multi party situation constitutes the political scenario. - culminating in creating for the country an abundance of economic and governance problems. Italy has witnessed in excess of forty legislatures in as many years with the country going nowhere but to the dogs. Do we really expire to inherit such a situation ? .
If anything I would venture to state that in our little island ideally we would do well to do away with parties contesting an election rendering the whole affair of governance the semblance of a divide amongst our people. As a substitute approach, I think, we would study the possibility where the prospective candidates contesting within this ambient, are primarily vetted for their suitability by way of experience, qualifications, integrity etc. prior to being accepted to contest. The leader of this governance body could then be nominated by the members elected. I know I am suggesting something of an utopia but honestly I believe that we should do away with this partisan attitude if we really mean business and wish this country to forge ahead.
Joseph Borg
Jul 11th 2012, 00:31
Break from what exactly? ... from being a JOKE to the country. Most of you fail to attend regularly and frankly the country is better of without you greedy ones spoiling it! All you are capable of doing is filling your pockets with raises and taking people for a ride. For instance having a torrid heat like today and hardly anyone dares switch on an AC at home...ara kif gibtuna bl'inkompetenza taghkom.
The rubbish bin deserves my vote more than any of you put together!!!
Fred Gassit
Jul 10th 2012, 23:21
As if PN and PL would achieve anything if they stayed in the House.........Lazy fellows!
mark borg
Jul 10th 2012, 23:16
Xejn ma togobni din li se jivvutaw mil isptarijiet u hafna kaxxi jigru l-hawn u l-hemm......nispera li il PL qed attent ghal kull mossa u manuvra ta gonzipn.....biex il klikka tibqa hemm fuq ...kollox tghamel
Ronnie Callus
Jul 10th 2012, 22:23
The PN is going to have enough time cooling period on their internal issues. We will see the outcome on Thursday this week.
jesmond zammit
Jul 10th 2012, 22:11
ghax jaqbillhom kollhox bill genn , ara ghal ivf , hallew lil kullhadd jistenna.
A Camilleri
Jul 10th 2012, 21:57
.... For a well deserved two and a half month recess.
Anthony Arpa
Jul 10th 2012, 21:56
AD from being elected? this is a joke ...
this is just a Dream ....
Adis with the few people votes that gets is still far away from being presented in our Parlament ... AD must only contest for the lokal elecions ...
Henry S Pace
Jul 10th 2012, 21:47
It appears that the country would be going to the polls in early November.
Emanuel. Vella.
Jul 10th 2012, 21:44
il-verdett tal-poplu,dalwaqt jasal ukoll,
jekk alla irid.
Kevin Marks
Jul 10th 2012, 21:17
Nice holidays safe journey home....Hallas tax payer 12 wks ...4 wks ohra fl easter....3wks fil milied imbaghad jigi xi prezentatur fuq TVM u jghidlek li l ministri missjoni eh
Carmel Garcia
Jul 11th 2012, 07:09
Jekk ma tafx Sur Marks, il-Ministri ma jieqfux fis-sajf, imma jibqu ghaddejjin. Kull ma jieqaf biss huma d-dibattiti parlamentari.
Julian Borg
Jul 11th 2012, 07:40
All parliamentarians - MLP and PN take a break from parliament - the difference is that the Ministers still have Ministries to administer and whilst they take time off for a holiday like everyone else they still carry out their full-time Ministerial jobs during the day - it is their part-time work in the evening that is in recess. But I guess this is too difficult to comprehend for those hell bent on spinning everything against the government!
Mark Brincat
Jul 10th 2012, 21:16
Hudu break fis-sajf ta' ghax dis-sena hdimtu hafna
Ramon Casha
Jul 10th 2012, 20:34
What about rushing through an amendment to repeal the anti-democratic provisions enacted explicitly to prevent AD from being elected?
D Borg
Jul 10th 2012, 20:53
Well said Ramon
The Galdes Commission nearly 20 years ago had recommended that an electoral threshold of 5%, which was also practically upheld by the subsequent Commission headed by the same Gonzi.
Nonetheless, the duopoly of the PNPL deem that it is not in the national (sic) interest to have another party apart from themselves represented in parliament. Thus they want to continue to call the shots themselves and regulate themselves - you know within the politicans' family - where the blues and the reds scratch each other's back.
The PN also has the cheek to utter the 'wasted vote' blasphemy - to entice anyone against voting AD.
In other words, pointing out that they did everything possible to deter people from voting AD (or any third party) - and to hell with democratic rights and proportional representation.
The fact that Gonzi became Prime Minister with a PN cabinet, simply thanks to a thousand votes, whereas AD was again denied representation in parliament notwithstanding it got much more votes - shows what a hollow democracy EU Malta is still plagued with!
Antoine Vella
Jul 10th 2012, 21:27
I agree that the present rules are disadvantageous to AD but it's slightly paranoid to say that theyt were made "explicitly" against AD. We've had the same laws decades before AD even existed.
Jessica Smith
Jul 10th 2012, 23:29
Ramon Casha AD is Always Delayed as someone a long time ago had said. You can forget that you will ever have an MP.
Ramon Casha
Jul 11th 2012, 06:12
@Antoine Vella: No, the laws were created/amended recently, raising the electoral threshold higher to ensure they could not get a seat in parliament.
Colin Camilleri
Jul 11th 2012, 07:50
@Antoine, you may be right that this were made explicitly for AD. But AD may also be right in stating that this was explicitly done to undermine young/new parties. With the 5% threshold - which I personally consider too high, given the difference between the two political parties and even more the fact that the current administration does not enjoy absolute majority - it basically "scared" most floating and unsure voters in voting for AD in convincing them that a vote for AD or any other alternative party is a wasted vote unless the threshold of 5% is reached. Again, in Maltese political scenarios, 5% is simply too much.
Please choose the reason of your report below: