Electoral Commission concerned over impact of Identità scandal on electoral register

The Electoral Commission is concerned over the possible repercussions the sprawling Identità scandal may have on the integrity of the electoral registers, MaltaToday has learnt. 

The Commission maintains three electoral registers, which contain the list of eligible voters for the general election, local elections and the European Parliament election. The registers are updated twice a year based on the information passed on to the Commission by Identità. 

Chief Electoral Commissioner Joseph Camilleri told MaltaToday the Commission “is following this matter very closely” when contacted for a reaction. 

“The Commission is waiting for the conclusions of the magisterial inquiry before it can discuss and decide on any actions from its end,” he added. 

However, sources within the Commission, who were granted anonymity to speak freely about internal matters, said they were “very worried” with the recent revelations. 

“We already had concerns over the manner by which Identità handled the ID cards process when the Siġġiewi debacle erupted before June’s local elections; the latest revelations concerning allegations of massive fraud simply made matters worse,” an official said. 

The situation has led to internal calls for the ID cards process to be shifted once again into the hands of the Electoral Commission although not everyone agrees. 

“Identità is not proving to be a reliable partner, and it would be a big problem if this erodes trust in the integrity of the electoral process,” another official said. “Even if there is one person who votes and is not eligible to do so it is a problem, especially when this is the result of fraud and corruption.” 

Identitàgate was uncovered by former MP Jason Azzopardi a few weeks ago. He also requested a magisterial inquiry that is now underway.

Azzopardi has claimed that officials within the agency and associates in the outside took bribes running into thousands of euros to issue residency permits to non-EU nationals on the basis of false documentation. In other instances, foreigners were issued ID cards on phantom addresses or which belonged to unconnected third parties.

READ ALSO: Identitàgate | Stolen identities, bribery and debauchery

Last week, Azzopardi revealed the names of several foreigners who had ID cards registered on a hotel in Xlendi that is slated for demolition. But significantly, the names of these people also appeared on the local council electoral register for Munxar. 

The scandal came on the back of the Siġġiewi ghost-voters’ controversy involving Identità and other agencies. 

Prior to local elections, almost 100 voters had their ID cards shifted to new social housing apartments in Siġġiewi despite not yet living there because the building was still being finished. Contrary to normal practice, an Identità official had gone to the building to finish the ID card paperwork in bulk. 

The 2022 PL manifesto promised that the ID card would replace the voting document as a means of identification when voting in elections

The people would have been eligible to vote in Siġġiewi but the courts ordered the process be reversed after the Nationalist Party mounted a legal challenge. A magistrate had visited the deserted apartment block to ascertain that none of the voters lived there and also ordered the police to investigate the matter. 

Another concern within the Electoral Commission is the electoral pledge made by the Labour Party that the ID card would eventually replace the voting document as a means of identification on election day. 

However, this is unlikely to be taken up in the wake of Identitàgate, which has cast doubt on the integrity of the ID cards process operated by Identità.

What are the electoral registers?

The Electoral Register lists the names, surnames, Identity/eResidence Card numbers and addresses of those persons who are registered to vote in elections and referenda in Malta. It is published twice yearly, in April and October, in three distinct formats. 

The General Election Electoral Register is published in 13 volumes (districts). This lists Maltese citizen entitled to vote in national referenda and to elect members of the House of Representatives. 

The Local Councils Electoral Register is published in 68 volumes (one for each locality) and lists those entitled to vote to elect councillors in their locality. In this register there are, besides the citizens of Malta, those EU citizens registered as residents in the Maltese islands. 

There is also the European Union Electoral Register listing those non-Maltese EU citizens registered as residing in the Maltese islands who have opted to vote in Malta to elect members to the European Parliament. This EU register, together with the General Elections register, make up the Electoral Roll that entitles the registered voters to vote in elections for members of the European Parliament.