The Electoral Commission's guidelines on where people could register to vote in Malta appear to contradict the electoral law, an MEP candidate has warned. 

Partit Demokratiku candidate Camilla Appelgren said that while the Commission's own website instructed Maltese citizens to head to Identity Malta offices in Blata l-Bajda if they needed to register, and expats to Valletta's Evans Building to register themselves, the electoral law was far more flexible. 

Ms Appelgren

Article 6 of the General Elections Act states that any applications made to the Commission "regarding the registration, cancellation, correction or transfer of a voter" can be made at the Electoral Office, local council offices, police stations or by post, free of postal fees. 

An FAQ section on the Electoral Commission's website makes no reference to this, and only lists Evans Building, Identity Malta offices and the Gozo Ministry as relevant registration sites. 

Ms Appelgren, who relocated to Malta in 2011, called for a clarification about the registration process, which she believed should be made easy for Maltese and non-Maltese to register to vote.

“Overall, registering to vote should be something anyone can do, without having to take time off work to visit an office with a long queue," she said.

"We should encourage people to exercise their right to be part of the democracy.”

The Office of the Prime Minister had yet to reply to questions at the time of writing. 

Ms Appelgren's concerns come just as preparations for May's EP elections step up a gear. 

In an effort to increase voter participation rates and encourage more people to vote, the European Parliament has created a website answering most of the common questions voters often have about European elections. 

Questions range from 'how do I vote?' to 'can I vote by mail?'. 

Visit the website at https://www.european-elections.eu/how-to-vote/malta.