AD says foreign-based Maltese should vote abroad

Alternattiva Demokratika insisted that Maltese citizens residing abroad should not have their right to vote denied in the upcoming elections.

AD Chairperson Michael Briguglio noted that the party is the only one in favour of extending the righting votes of young people aged 16 onwards in general, European and local elections.

He said AD believes in youth empowerment and in full participation of young people in the democratic process. However, Briguglio said that all Maltese citizens should be empowered and allowed to vote, including those living abroad.

"It is about time that Maltese citizens residing abroad for study, work or other resons such as caring for other persons should be able to vote. This will make things easier for such voters, and Malta will therefore avoid the unnecessary cost and controversies regarding flights to Malta during the elections," Briguglio said.

He explained that the country should catch up with the technological advances and allow people to vote in Maltese embassies or through electronic means.

Briguglio added that not only is the country making it difficult for persons living abroad to vote but the Labour Party was insisting in striking voters off the electoral register.

"Unfortunately Labour is pressing ahead with filing court writs to deny voters their right to vote. This is unacceptable for Alternattiva Demokratika," Briguglio said.

AD Spokesperson on EU and International Affairs, Arnold Cassola, called on Labour to join the 21st century and said: "Labour should stop striking off names of Maltese voters who are residing abroad. We are in a day and age of globalisation, information technology and constant travel."

He reminded that 10 years ago, Joseph Muscat was an active protagonist of the Labour Party that tried to deprive Cassola of his right to vote after he had been voted in as secretary-general of a European Green Party in Brussels. the only non-EU citizen to ever lead a European party.

"Labour keeps repeating this by attempting to takeaway the vote of Maltese citizens residing abroad. It is ironic that Muscat has not learnt anything in the years he spent in Brussels."

Cassola said Labour is going against the March 2003 Constitutional court ruling that states that 'residence does not necessarily mean physical presence in Malta, but habitual presence'.

He also asked why the Labour Party has filed writs against workers, students and other persons living abroad but not against MEPs and other officials residing in Brussels. Cassola called on the revision of the archaic 1964 electoral law, which says that voters who are not in Malta for an aggregate of six months in the last 18 months prior to the last published electoral register; or are dead or mentally infirm should lose the right to vote.

In recent days, Labour came under attack for having filed some 187 court writs this year to strike off people from the electoral register and deny them their right to vote.