78.81 per cent of the eligible electorate, or a total of 254,084 voters, cast their votes yesterday in what was the country’s second European parliamentary election since joining the European Union in 2004.
The turnout for the EP election was, somewhat disappointingly, some 3.6 per cent lower than 2004’s 82.4 per cent turnout; it was also the lowest voter turnout on record since 1955.
Turnout for the local council elections across the 23 localities involved this time around was slightly lower than the EP turnout at 77 per cent, but still significantly higher than the 66 per cent turnout registered in 2006 – the last time the same local council electorate went to the polls.
The turnout pattern of yesterday’s EP polling shows a certain degree of apathy from Maltese voters, who are otherwise notoriously keen to have their voices heard in the country’s elections.
Voter turnout appeared to be low from the outset with figures released yesterday afternoon by the Electoral Commission showing only 34 per cent of the eligible voters had cast their votes by 2pm, which was also four per cent lower than the turnout in 2004 by the same time.
The 4th electoral district had the highest turnout at 82.72 per cent, the 12th district the lowest at 72.06 per cent, while the 10th district had the second-lowest turnout at 74.94 per cent.
The 10th and 12th districts were the districts with the highest uncollected voting documents – at respective 8.59 and 11.29 percentage points.
Malta so far has had five seats at the EP but will be entitled to a sixth MEP seat when and if the Lisbon, or Reform, Treaty is approved by the Irish electorate in a referendum later this year.
The first ballot boxes arrived at the Naxxar Counting Hall at 10.50pm with Assistant Electoral Commissioners who were posted at Ta’ Xbiex smiling at cameras after being the first to arrive at the counting hall in Naxxar.
The boxes were immediately emptied of their contents and ballots were placed face down in stacks of 50 ready for the sorting and counting that starts today at midday.
However, boxes containing ballots of local council elections are being kept under lock and key in a strong room, where they will remain until opened on Saturday.
Approximately a third of the total voters were called to elect new councils for 23 localities yesterday. Local council elections were held in Mdina, Cospicua, Zabbar, Victoria, Birkirkara, Fgura, Gudja, Gharb, Ghaxaq, Kalkara, Lija, Marsascala, Mgarr, Msida, Naxxar, Pietà, Rabat, San Gwann, Sannat, Sliema, Tarxien, Xghajra and Mtarfa.
The highest local council election turnout was witnessed in Gudja, which registered an impressive 93 per cent turnout, and the lowest, 73 per cent, was seen for the Sliema local council.
By 2pm, 33 per cent of eligible voters turned up to cast their vote to elect their town council. In 2004, 35 per cent of eligible voters had voted by 2pm, however, five years ago local councils elections involved a different set of localities than this year’s.