Government yet to discuss postponement of local elections

The government has not yet discussed the proposal floated three weeks ago by the Prime Minister to postpone the next two rounds of local elections, in order to hold local elections en masse in 2019, simultaneously with the European Parliament elections.

“No discussions have been held at Cabinet level so far,” a government spokesperson told MaltaToday. However, questions about whether the issue would be discussed by the Cabinet in the coming weeks remained unanswered.

The next round of elections for half of the 68 local councils is due in March next year, followed by another round in 2017, while the next round of European Parliament elections will be held in May 2019.

If the local elections get postponed to 2019, it would effectively mean that the term of a number of local councils would be extended to eight years, from the mandated three-year term.

However if the proposal goes through, it would also mean that the hunting referendum, which the Coalition Against Spring Hunting expects to be held in March 2015, would not be held with the local elections.

Holding a stand-alone referendum would deliver a blow to the coalition’s hopes of attracting enough voters to polling stations. In the absence of a 50% turnout, the referendum result would not be legally binding.

Although the Nationalist Party has publicly said that it would back the postponement of local elections as long as the transition took a number of years, sources have told MaltaToday that the opposition is concerned with what it deems as the Prime Minister’s attempt to derail the anti-spring hunting campaign by holding a stand-alone referendum.

Sources have confirmed that the coalition also shares such concerns, however any attempt to encourage abstention could backfire on the government and the hunting lobby because it could not only end up with an ineffectual but symbolic landslide victory for the anti-spring hunting camp, but the coalition could end rallying enough support to achieve a quorum.

The Prime Minister has argued that postponing the local elections would save the country money and spare the electorate yet another electoral campaign.

However, the move has fuelled suspicions that the Labour government, which signed a vague pre-electoral agreement with the hunting lobby on the eve of the 2013 general election, is seeking ways to appease the hunters.

Opinion polls show a majority against hunting, however the Labour government and the opposition have consistently argued against a ban on spring hunting.

Moreover, in recent weeks the government has controversially decided to take the first steps towards re-opening the banned practice of finch trapping, which BirdLife Malta said would set bird conservation in Malta five years back.

Although the date for the referendum has not been set, it is expected that in the next two weeks, the electoral commission will conclude the verification process of the 44,000 signatures collected by the Coalition Against Spring Hunting. Once the verification process is complete, opponents can challenge the referendum request over procedural matters. If this stage is cleared, then a date for the referendum would be set by the electoral commission.