An arrangement between Maltapost and the Electoral Commission has been reached for voters to send in their applications for registration for the next European elections free of charge.

However, Maltapost continued to defy this agreement by not delivering applications to the Electoral Commission, AD said.

The Commission announced the agreement with reference to a statement issued earlier today by Alternattiva Demokratika which said that Maltapost was conditioning the registration of voters in Malta for next European elections by not delivering their applications.

Chairman Arnold Cassola said that, according to law, voters, including non-Maltese EU nationals, should be able to send their applications by post, and without paying any postage, to the Electoral Commission offices in Malta and Gozo.

However, Maltapost officials confirmed with interested parties that they had not delivered the applications.

Maltapost told those who asked that its legal office was still awaiting a written reply from the Maltese Electoral Commission.

Prof. Cassola said: "This is unacceptable. Maltapost has no right to prevent eligible EU citizens from enrolling to vote in the Maltese electoral register. All applications must be delivered immediately and before the closing date of March 29. In the meantime, we are informing the representative of the European Parliament office in Malta of the behaviour of Maltapost."

But in a statement this evening, the Commission said an arrangement with Maltapost was reached earlier this month whereby electoral application forms continued to be accepted and delivered by Maltapost to the Electoral Commission free of postal charges to the sender.

These charges were being incurred by the Commission, it said.

However, AD said in another statement later that Maltapost today reconfirmed that it was not delivering the applications and told interested parties in an e-mail that postage was free when using the Business Reply Service and private envelopes were charged at local rates.

Prof. Cassola said: "The Electoral Commission has not printed and distributed any envelopes for Business Reply Service. What is Maltapost's interest in hindering the registration of legitimate voters on the electoral list by March 29? We are again informing the EP representative in Malta of Maltapost's obstacles towards the registration of citizens on the electoral list."