There are proposals to push local elections back to 2019. Photo: Darrin Zammit Lupi

Postponing local council elections to coincide with the 2019 MEP poll would “weaken democracy” and leave voters feeling “duped”, according to analysts.

These concerns were expressed by Godfrey Grima, Joe Pirotta and Kenneth Wain, who were asked to comment by The Sunday Times of Malta on the government’s recent proposal to shift local elections on grounds that it would save money and also reduce election fatigue.

Justice Minister Owen Bonnici said the government was keen to discuss a proposal to postpone the next two rounds of council elections set for next year and 2017.

The idea would be to extend their term to five years and start holding all elections at one go, starting from 2019.

The Prime Minister sought to justify the move by saying this would reduce “election fatigue” since local elections were held in alternate years.

The other side of the coin is that councils would have their current term extended up to seven years, almost double their four-year mandate.

There is no election fatigue in America, though they vote much more often than we do

“I completely disagree with such an idea, as the more people vote, the stronger the democracy,” columnist Mr Grima told this newspaper.

Costs should never be a consideration in such decisions, he said.

“My hope is that Maltese voters will one day be called to cast their ballot as regularly as the Americans who also elect people in government positions such as sheriffs, mayors and school board members.”

Mr Grima said politicians were to blame for election fatigue since they were responsible for raising the stakes and creating hype in the run up to the vote.

“There is no election fatigue in America, though they vote much more often than we do, as they are left to choose freely without being bombarded by political parties,” Mr Grima said.

Prof. Pirotta, a retired lecturer who published various books dealing with aspects of modern Maltese political and constitutional development, is also firmly opposed to such a move.

He said that bar national emergencies or extraordinary circumstances like war, the term of office should not be exceeded.

“Every time an election is held, voters know they are electing a representative body, in this case a local council, for a specified maximum period of time. Otherwise voters would be duped,” he said.

However, if at the end of a wide consultation exercise such a plan receives the thumbs up, the fairest way to proceed would be to hold the next two rounds of elections as originally scheduled, he said.

Prof. Wain, who lectures in ethics and political philosophy, said that local elections were important tools of a participatory democracy embracing the principle of subsidiarity.

However, if the central government forged ahead with such a plan it would convey the wrong message while weakening the political meaning and democratic value of local elections, he warned.

“It would mean that cost-cutting considerations are more valuable than democratic ones, and the timing of local elections is at the mercy of the central government,” Prof. Wain said.

On the issue of turnout, he described the arguments being made by the government as “paternalistic”.

He said it would be hard to identify a single issue behind a voter’s decision to stay at home and not cast their ballot.

Prof. Wain said election fatigue was more the result of the confrontational approach of Maltese politics.

This newspaper also sought the reaction of Local Councils’ Association president Mark Sant, but he declined to take a stand – saying no formal proposal had been tabled.

He added talks with the government were set to start in the coming weeks.