This means that the total number of potential voters in the EP election is now 294,129, the Electoral Commission said yesterday. The number of potential voters for the local council elections is 95,234.
Just over 4,000 electoral commissioners yesterday voted in order to concentrate on their job during the day today.
Meanwhile, the first indications of the fate of the 27 candidates contesting the European Parliament election today are expected by the small hours of Monday morning.
The final result, establishing the five people who will represent Malta in the European Parliament, is expected to be announced by Thursday. Electoral Commission spokesman Louis Fsadni explained that the polling stations open at 7am and close at 10pm and boxes are expected to start arriving at the Ta’ Qali counting hall shortly afterwards. None of the boxes will be opened until all of them have arrived.
The first phase of the count is to compare the number of people who voted with the number of votes in the ballot box. The voting slips will then be turned face-down before being counted.
The counting is not expected to start before midday on Sunday.
The system being used for this election is different, but at the same time similar, to other local and general elections.
In a general election, held once every five years, Malta is divided into 12 districts, with Gozo and Comino being considered as the 13th electoral district. Local councils are divided into three groups, and elections for each group are held every three years.
This is the first time Malta has had an election in which it is considered as one electoral district.
Mr Fsadni said the number of candidates for the EP election – 27 – will make sorting the ballot papers in to the various pigeon holes much more complicated.
There are 17 candidates representing the three main local political parties – eight PN, eight MLP and one AD – while another 10 are contesting as independent candidates or representing a party.
The candidates representing the Nationalist Party (PN) are: Simon Busuttil, David Casa, Joanna Drake, Michael Falzon, Joe Friggieri, Ian Spiteri Bailey, Roberta Tedesco Triccas and Anton Tabone.
The candidates representing the Malta Labour Party (MLP) are: John Attard Montalto, Glenn Bedingfield, Owen Bonnici, Joe Debono Grech, Louis Grech, Robert Micallef, Wenzu Mintoff and Joe Muscat.
Arnold Cassola is contesting the EP election on behalf of Alternattiva Demokratika.
Emmy Bezzina, Nazzareno Bonnici, Carmelo Farrugia, Norman Lowell, Damian Iwueke Chukwuemeka, Herbert Cecil Jones, Christopher Sciberras, Mark Von Brockdorff, John Zammit and Victor Zammit are contesting as independent candidates or representing other recently-established parties.
Apart from the election of the five people to represent Malta at the European Parliament, 22 localities will also be electing councillors to represent them at local level.
The Nationalist Party is fielding 125 candidates, the Malta Labour Party has 97 people contesting the election on its behalf and Alternattiva Demokratika, The Green Party, is fielding three candidates.
The counting of votes for the local council elections will begin at 8am on Saturday, 19 June, and the final results are expected by the Sunday afternoon.