[attach id=241293 size="medium"]AD chairman Michael Briguglio said his party was prepared to carry any role with responsibility. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli[/attach]
Supporters of Alternattiva Demokratika are campaigning to give their party a voice in Parliament following encouraging remarks made by Labour MP Evarist Bartolo.
More than 1,000 people signed an online petition yesterday calling on Prime Minister Joseph Muscat to “get AD in Parliament”, with the petition’s creator suggesting the possibility of the Green Party being given the Speaker’s seat.
The petition builds on comments given to the press during the vote counting process by Mr Bartolo, who said: “A party which has the support of 5,500 people deserves to be represented in Parliament.
“If we had a truly democratic system, these 5,500 votes would have a voice in Parliament. We have to work to ensure the 5,500 who voted for Alternattiva Demokratika are respected as much as the other people who have a vote and use it to have a voice in Parliament.”
AD chairman Michael Briguglio thanked Mr Bartolo for his statement and said his party was prepared to carry any role with responsibility.
“AD’s vote represents far more than a parliamentary quota. We have always striven to represent a portion of the population that entrusts us with its vote. AD is prepared to carry that responsibility and show it can be entrusted with the democratic representation of its constituents,” Dr Briguglio said.
The petition (www.causes.com/actions/1739064-get-ad-in-parliament-and-make-history) builds on the enthusiasm of Dr Briguglio.
If we had a truly democratic system, these 5,500 votes would have a voice in Parliament
“The 5,500 votes are no trifling matter. At almost double the national quota, this is a loud voice for Alternattiva Demokratika and one which cannot be ignored,” writes petition creator Mark Debono.
Speaking to The Times, Mr Debono pointed out that he was not a member of AD but an activist who believed in the party’s ideals. “The petition aims to challenge the lack of existence of a national threshold and calls for the current situation to be fixed,” he said, adding AD’s press release made it clear the party was willing to participate in such structures that are reasonably offered.