Malta will remain without its full complement of MEPs during next week’s European Parliament session in Strasbourg, even though a month has passed since the general election.
Malta is taking its time and it seems the fact that the country is without half of its delegation is not a priority
Sources close to the EP in Brussels told The Times that although the EP was expecting Malta to be in a position to send its three new MEPs for next week’s session, it appeared the Maltese Parliament was taking its time.
Three of Malta’s six MEPs were elected to the local Parliament after the March 9 general election.
Malta had opted to first wait for a formal declaration from the EP before proceeding with the necessary casual elections, the sources said.
“The EP has already informed Malta in writing that former MEPs Louis Grech, Edward Scicluna and Simon Busuttil are no longer considered EP Members.
“Still, the Maltese authorities decided to await a formal announcement at next week’s session before proceeding to elect the new MEPs. This means Malta will be losing more time,” the EP sources said.
According to the EP’s Elections Act, enacted in Malta following EU membership, an MEP automatically loses his seat if he is elected to a national parliament or a local council. If the MEP concerned does not tender his resignation, his post is declared vacant within five days from the publication of the election results.
In Malta’s case, it was only Nationalist MEP Simon Busuttil who sent a formal resignation letter soon after his election to Parliament.
And while Labour ministers Louis Grech and Edward Scicluna have not formally presented their resignation, the EP declared their seats vacant as of March 13.
“Although the EP formally informed the Maltese authorities about these vacancies we are still waiting for the new MEPs to arrive,” the sources said.
The process of electing new MEPs will only start when the President of Malta publishes a writ giving the Electoral Commission the authority to organise casual elections.
This has not happened yet. According to sources close to the commission, the Maltese authorities decided to first wait for a formal declaration from the EP.
This is now expected to be made during the first session of the EP on April 15.
Only then will the process of three casual elections start, delaying the process before the new MEPs can take up their role in Brussels.
According to the results of the 2009 MEP elections, the favourites to take up the vacant seats are Roberta Metsola for the PN, with an outside chance for Rudolph Cini; while the frontrunners for Labour’s two seats are Marlene Mizzi, Claudette Abela Baldacchino and Glenn Bedingfield.
Labour Party sources said it was not yet clear whether Ms Abela Baldacchino would be contesting due to a pending court case.
The new MEPs will hold their seat for just a year as fresh EP elections are due by mid-2014.