Updated Sunday 7.15am

Electoral Commission staff spent the night opening ballot boxes and checking the number of ballot papers with the ballot paper accounts after the European Parliament elections which yesterday had the lowest turnout in Malta so far.

The Commission said turnout was 74.81 per cent, four per cent lower than in 2009 when it was 78.81 per cent, but well above the European average.

Turnout for the first EP elections in Malta, in 2004, was 82.4 per cent.

By way of comparison, turnout at the last general election in Malta was 93.3 per cent.

Although the latest turnout figures were low by Maltese standards, they were far above the average throughout Europe where other EP elections are held. In 2009 turnout was 43 per cent  and it is expected to fall to 40 per cent this year.

Voting yesterday was highest in the fourth district (79.4 per cent) and lowest in the 12th (64.14 per cent).

Election analyst Hermann Schiavone told The Sunday Times of Malta: “Labour seems to have managed to mobilise voters and I expect this to be reflected in the result.”

Pre-election polls had shown Labour heading for a comfortable majority of votes, with the only question being how different it would be from the difference of almost 36,000 from the PN in the general elections. The PL had feared a number of supporters would stay at home to protest over some aspect of the government.

The first projection of the result is expected early in the afternoon when the counting staff start turning the ballot papers face up and sorting them in batches of 50. Full results are expected tomorrow.

TURNOUT BY DISTRICT

District 1	75.18%
District 2	75.92%
District 3	75.02%
District 4	79.40%
District 5	77.21%
District 6	78.31%
District 7	76.52%
District 8	75.93%
District 9	70.80%
District 10	67.02%
District 11	74.20%
District 12	64.14%
District 13	76.92%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Voting closed at 10pm this evening after 15 hours. Sealed boxes filled with the ballot papers then started being Naxxar counting hall.

The day was uneventful and a total 33.83 per cent of eligible voters had cast their vote by 2pm, the Electoral Commission said.

Voting  started this morning, with the early risers facing a drizzle on their way to the polling stations.

Archbishop Paul Cremona cast his vote in Attard, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat in Burmarrad and President Marie Louise Coleiro Preca and Opposition leader Simon Busuttil in Lija and AD chairman Arnold Cassola in Sliema.

A total of 21,856 voting documents remained uncollected. This was 6.3 per cent of the registered voters, who numbered 344,374.

During the MEP elections of June 6, 2009 there were 322,411 registered voters and 15,862 (4.9 per cent) uncollected voting documents.

Today's elections are being contested by 32 candidates from seven parties and groups. The European Parliament has 766 members.

Some 7,000 eligible voters, including assistant electoral commissioners, people in hospitals and old people's homes and those who are abroad today, were able to vote in the past few days.

Voting today started at 7am and continues till 10pm. Votes will be counted at Naxxar counting hall and early indications of the result are expected tomorrow afternoon, with the full result on Monday.

Uncollected voting documents by district

DISTRICT	UNDELIVERED VOTING DOCS
1	1481
2	1006
3	1199
4	727
5	1055
6	793
7	1113
8	1058
9	2170
10	3408
11	1374
12	4638
13	1834
Total	21856

Uncollected voting documents by locality

LOCALITY	UNDELIVERED VOTING DOCS
VALLETTA	505
FLORIANA	98
ĦAMRUN	407
MARSA	180
PIETÀ	206
STA VENERA	230
VITTORIOSA	79
SENGLEA	153
COSPICUA	194
ŻABBAR	434
KALKARA	62
XGĦAJRA	84
ŻEJTUN	200
FGURA	294
MARSASKALA	744
GUDJA	37
GĦAXAQ	120
PAOLA	280
STA LUĊIJA	39
TARXIEN	154
BIRŻEBBUĠA	472
KIRKOP	34
MARSAXLOKK	101
MQABBA	88
QRENDI	127
SAFI	32
ŻURRIEQ	201
QORMI	348
SIĠĠIEWI	269
LUQA	176
MDINA	17
ŻEBBUĠ	291
DINGLI	90
MĠARR	206
MTARFA	66
RABAT	443
BIRKIRKARA	749
IKLIN	70
LIJA	95
NAXXAR	548
GĦARGĦUR	143
MSIDA	617
SAN ĠWANN	469
SWIEQI	815
TA’ XBIEX	126
GŻIRA	660
PEMBROKE	162
ST JULIAN'S	1083
SLIEMA	1503
ATTARD	395
BALZAN	147
MOSTA	832
MELLIEĦA	603
ST PAUL'S BAY	3544
VICTORIA	222
FONTANA	15
GĦAJNSIELEM	215
GĦARB	106
GĦASRI	32
KERĊEM	69
MUNXAR	81
NADUR	153
QALA	130
SAN LAWRENZ	32
SANNAT	113
XAGĦRA	261
XEWKIJA	99
ŻEBBUĠ (GĦ)	306
TOTAL	21856