The Nationalist Party wants the Electoral Commission to say how a sensitive internal document ended up in the Labour Party’s possession.

It accused the Commission of filling executive positions with Labour sympathisers turning the office into a Labour club.

Addressing a press conference outside the Commission’s offices in Valletta, PN general secretary Chris Said condemned the leak of the document and said that Chief Electoral Commissioner Joseph Church should order an investigation to find out how this ended up in the PL’s possession. He said that although two days had passed since The Malta Independent reported about the leak, the Commission had still not uttered a word.

“The Electoral Commission is a constitutional body which should be and be seen to be impartial. It is not acceptable that such leaks of sensitive documents occur and no one knows how it happened,” Dr Said noted.

He said that, through its actions, including the staffing of its offices with Labour sympathisers, the Commission was losing the respect of the PN and of the people who believed in democracy and a fair electoral process.

He said it was evident that the Commission’s decision to appeal the court decision giving the PN two more seats in Parliament was taken in the interests of the government.

Dr Said pointed out that it was Mr Church who used his casting vote to decide that the Commission should file an appeal.

PN public administration spokesman Ċensu Galea said Electoral Commission officials had already admitted in court there was a mistake in the counting process during the 2013 general election. Although the PN fully respected the legal process, it was odd that the Commission was now appealing a mistake which its own officials admitted to.