19,000 new voters for 9 March elections

As the political parties are gearing up for the final stretch of the 2013 electoral campaign, the Electoral Commission is silently preparing itself for the massive job it has ahead of itself.

On Monday, not only will the political parties kick-start their official campaigns following the bogus truce, but the Electoral Commission will also begin making preparations to issue over 500,000 voting documents, receive candidates' nominations and enrol and train up to 5,000 persons who will be running the show on 9 March.

As announced by Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi, parliament's dissolution and the date of the election are expected to be rubberstamped tomorrow through two President's proclamations.

The Electoral Commission will then commence the electoral process once it receives the president's authorisation through the issuing of the electoral writ.

The Electoral Commission said that up to 19,000 persons will cast their vote for first time in 2013 as the total number of voters has now reached around 332,000.

The new voters are mainly composed of persons who turned 18 between March 2008 and March 2013. First-time voters are considered to be one of the pivotal electoral sectors in determining the election results and will be a main target for all parties.

The commission also confirmed that the by the end of January, it will have completed the process of verifying the electoral register, issuing and printing of the voting documents, the receipt and verification of candidates' nominations, the selection and training of Assistant Electoral Commissioners and other staff employed in the electoral process.

Within three days of the publication of the writ, the commission will publish a number of notices in the Government Gazette. Nominations cannot be received prior to six days from the date of the publication of the notice.

It is expected that by the third week of January, the commission would have processed the list of candidates who will be contesting the 9 March elections.

On 9 March, local council elections will be held simultaneously with the general election in 34 localities. The total number of voters eligible for this round stands at approximately 175,000 since EU citizens are also eligible to vote in local elections.

IN FIGURES

9 March - Election Day

10 March - Counting of general election votes and publication of results

16 March - Date assigned for counting process of Local Council elections

332,000 - Number of eligible voters for General Election - 17,000 more then 2008

175,000 - Number of eligible voters for Local Council elections

5,000 - The number of persons who will assist the Electoral Commission at the polling booths and counting hall

5 - The number of days the Electoral Commission has to establish complete list of all voters eligible to vote in 9 March elections.

19 - The number of days established by the electoral law in which the voting documents have to distributed.

3 - Number of parties who have confirmed their participation. However, other parties could join PN,PL,AD in coming days.

65 - Number of seats to be won, although the number could increase if result is not proportionally reflected in number of seats obtained by elected parties.

13 - Number of districts in which Malta is divided for General Election purposes

34 - The number of localities in which Local Council elections will be held.