1) Before the petition: - Apart from a brief period prior to the European Parliament elections in 2004, the Maltese Electoral Commission illegally denied non-Maltese EU citizens the right to enrol on the (Maltese) European Parliament Electoral Register.
Gozonews, Thursday, 7th August, 2008 - The Electoral Office discriminates against EU residents in Malta and Gozo – AD.
Alternattiva Demokratika, has said that the Electoral Office is discriminating against EU residents in Malta and Gozo, who would like to register as voters for the forthcoming European Parliament elections of June 2009.
“These EU citizens are being refused registration and told that it is not possible for them to register at this stage,” said Arnold Cassola, Chairperson of Alternattiva Demokratika.
With a view to addressing this problem Stephen Cachia, Alternattiva Demokratika Deputy Chairperson and Spokesperson on Democratic development and Civil Rights, has written to the head of the European Parliament Office in Malta, expressing ADÂ’s very strong concern about the manner in which MaltaÂ’s electoral office is handling the registration of EU citizens for voting in next yearÂ’s European Parliament elections.
Stephen Cachia pointed out that the EU residents in Malta are being told that the electoral office “might” issue a mail shot in January and that the office will receive applications from January 2009 for inclusion in the electoral register issued in April 2009.
Stephen Cachia declared that: “In effect this is a discriminatory administrative decision since Maltese citizens may at present register in the forthcoming October 2008 national electoral register and automatically be included in the EP elections register in April 2009 while other EU nationals still cannot register to vote in Malta for the EP elections if they choose to do so.”
The AD Deputy Chairperson concluded, “Apart from this blatant discriminatory treatment, which flies in the face of EU law, AD feels that this procedure is actively discouraging EU citizens from registering to vote in Malta for the EP elections. An immediate stop to this discriminatory treatment is therefore necessary.”
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2) After the petition: - The Times of Malta, Wednesday, 4th September, 2013: Voting by EU nationals in Malta.
Non-Maltese EU citizens residing in the Maltese Islands who do not already hold a Malta ID card or residence document may apply for registration to vote in the European Parliament elections by first applying for their residence document at the Citizenship and Expatriate Affairs Department, Evans Building, St Elmo Square, Valletta, where they also complete the electoral register application, the Electoral Commission said.
This procedure is also required in respect of non-Maltese EU citizens residing in Malta, already in possession of a Malta ID card or Residence document, and wishing to change their option into voting in Malta instead of in their home country in the same elections.
The closing date for the next European Parliament Elections register is September 30.
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3) In a further press release on 4th September, 2013, the Electoral Commission published the following correction:
Excerpt:
PRESS RELEASE
‘Notice by the Electoral Commission for the Attention of Non-Maltese EU Citizens Residing in the Maltese Islands
Further to its Press Release issued today for the attention of non-Maltese EU citizens resident in Malta, the Electoral Commission clarifies that 30th September, 2013, is the closing date for the October 2013 EU register and that another EU register, whose closing date would be 31st March 2014, is due to be published in April 2014Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â’
