“In line with the CRPD, the majority of EU countries offer persons with disabilities the possibility of freely choosing assistance to vote. However, in Greece and Malta, only election officials can assist persons with disabilities, something that may effectively discourage voters to participate in the elections”.

This information is quoted from the Executive Summary of the European Disability Forum (EDF)’s European Human Rights Report , Issues 6 – 2022, Human Rights Report on the political participation of Persons with Disabilities https://www.edf-feph.org/publications/human-rights-report-2022-political-participation-of-persons-with-disabilities/

The Malta Federation of Organisations Persons with Disability (MFOPD) is the Malta representative on the European Disability Forum (EDF).

The UNCRPD is an international human rights treaty which reaffirms that persons with disability should enjoy all human rights and fundamental freedoms. All EU members states and the EU have ratified the UNCRPD, Malta included.

Article 29 of the Convention requires that all Contracting States protect "the right of the person with disabilities to vote by secret ballot in elections and public referendums "

Once again, Malta’s general elections held earlier this year were not totally accessible to all persons with disability and once again, some of the persons with disability who decided to exercise their right to vote had to do this not in an anonymous voting manner. Persons with disability in Malta should be able to vote in secrecy as is done by the general Maltese population.

With the 2024 European Parliament elections approaching, MFOPD joins EDF and urges our national decision makers to acknowledge, consider and implement the following recommendations:

·        Guarantee all persons with disability the right to vote and to stand for election

·        Maximise accessibility, including to information

·        Provide reasonable accommodation so that persons with disability can vote independently and secretly

Marthese Mugliette is president of the Malta Federation of Organisations Persons with Disability. MFOPD  is the national umbrella organisation for the disability sector. It is the voice of, approximately, 35,000 persons with disability in the Maltese islands. It has 35 enrolled member organisations all working within the disability sector.