Alternattiva Demokratika – The Green Party, stated that the Electoral Office is discriminating against EU residents in Malta, 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 AD’s very strong concern about the manner in which Malta’s Electoral Office is handling the registration of EU citizens for voting in next year’s European Parliament elections.

Mr 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”.