A proposal to cancel next year’s local council elections is tantamount to “playing about with democracy,” according to the Nationalist Party.

Any changes to the democratic process, such as the rule of relative majority in a general election, were always carried out in consultation with the Opposition, PN general secretary Chris Said told a news conference.

Last week, Justice Minister Owen Bonnici said the government would hold a public consultation to postpone the next round of local council elections to 2019 to coincide with the European Parliament elections.

The idea was first mooted by Prime Minister Joseph Muscat as a move to save costs and improve turnout in local council elections to address “election fatigue”.

But Dr Said dismissed this explanation, saying Malta always had an average voter turnout of 70 per cent for local council elections.

“If anything, the government should look into the reasons behind voter fatigue and tackle it,” he said.

Money should not be an issue for a Labour government, he said, which is paying €100 million for its new Cabinet and another €4.2 million to bail out a bankrupt company for Café Premier in Valletta.

Removing that right is playing around with a principle of democracy

The Nationalist Party believes the 2015 and 2017 elections should go ahead as scheduled and there should be a consultation process to establish how local councils could be strengthened, helped and improved.

“Everyone has the right to choose or change the composition of their local council and removing that right is playing around with a principle of democracy,” he said.

The proposed move was also creating “unfair uncertainty” – new candidates who had already set their campaign in motion might find a closed door if next year’s election was cancelled.

When asked whether he felt there was a link between postponing the elections and the planned abrogative referendum on spring hunting, Dr Said said only Prime Minister Joseph Muscat could answer that question.

However, elections should not be postponed or cancelled for any reason, let alone for political purposes.

Keeping in mind the recent election results and the party’s ongoing restructuring, the PN would not benefit from next year’s council elections, the general secretary said, but he pointed out polls should be everyone’s “sacrosanct” right.