The Malta Society of the Blind welcomed the recent amendments to the Constitution and the General Elections Act passed by ACT No. XXI of 2007, that provide for special means of voting, which enable visually impaired persons to vote independently and without the need of assistance.

The amendments passed by Parliament are an historic and giant step forward. Decisive action has finally been taken to support disabled persons, the society said in a statement.

MSB had been campaigning for a dignified voting system for the visually impaired for several years. MSB and other societies for the visually impaired (Torball and GAVI), together with individual members of associations for the visually impaired, campaigned for a dignified voting system at several levels.

The efforts of individuals such as Kevin Cutajar (who lobbied on the political front) and Andrew Camilleri, former president of Torball Association for the Blind (who , several years back, devised a voting template for the blind), deserve special mention.

In January 2006 MSB decided to tackle the matter judicially and filed a judicial protest versus the Electoral Commission and the Attorney General. In March 2006, MSB, in conjunction with Torball and GAVI, decided to institute a civil lawsuit in anticipation of constitutional proceedings.

The Court delivered its sentence on 26 June 2007. Although the Court, (presided by Mr Justice Lino Farrugia Sacco) found that there had not been a violation of the Equal Opportunities Act, the Court was not insensitive to our demands and took the innovative step of requesting Parliament to address the matter.

MSB is very grateful to all those who made this important step forward possible.

We are grateful to The Nationalist Party, The Labour Party, Alternattiva Demokratika and the Office of the Prime Minister.

In future, Parliament should consider the implementation of an additional system, which would allow visually impaired persons the option to vote with the assistance of a trusted friend, the society said.