Polls have opened as Malta votes to elect its representatives at the European Parliament and local council for the next five years.

Voting in the 117 polling stations across Malta and Gozo opened at 7am, and ends at 10pm this evening.

The Electoral Commission reminded yesterday that the use of mobile phones, cameras and photographic equipment in polling places is prohibited, and that it is against the law to take photographs or video images in polling places.

“Anyone found taking pictures or videos thereat shall have the relative equipment confiscated and legal steps would be taken accordingly”, the Commission said.

The Commission also said that those people who are going abroad on voting day will be allowed to skip the queue to vote, provided that they present documented evidence of confirmed travel arrangements for that day to the police officer in charge at the Polling Centre.

The first of the political leaders to vote was Prime Minister Robert Abela, in Zejtun.

The President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, also cast her vote, in Sliema.

Later, it was the turn of Bernard Grech, Nationalist Party leader, in Mosta.

ADPD leader Sandra Gauci went to vote in St Paul's Bay.

President Myriam Spiteri Debono voted in Birkirkara.

Independent candidate Arnold Cassola also voted in Pembroke.

On Sunday, votes for the European Parliament elections will be counted. The official result in the MEP elections is expected after 11pm on Sunday, after voting has closed in all EU countries.

As for the votes cast in the local council elections, the counting of votes will be spread over three days, between Wednesday and Friday this coming week.

Electronic counting will again be used in the vote counting process. The traditional showing of votes will take place at the counting hall, and votes will then be scanned for the electronic counting to take place.

10% of eligible voters did not collect their voting document for the European Parliament elections, while 24% did not collect their voting document for the Local Council elections.

Closing time for collection was Thursday at midnight.

The number of voters eligible to vote to elect Malta’s six representatives at the European Parliament has dropped to 332,967 from the 370,184 who were eligible. The remaining 37,217 voting documents were not collected.

110,651 voting documents for local council elections, or 24% of eligible voters, remained uncollected. 457,343 voters were eligible to cast their vote in the Local Council elections, which now means that the maximum number of voters will be 346,692.

Although the majority of the voters will be casting their preference today, a number of others have already done so.

Last Saturday, 14,041 people opted to vote early in the EP election, 87.7 per cent of those who had applied with the commission to be given the opportunity because they will not be available to vote today. The same percentage voted for local council elections.

On Tuesday, 88.2% of police officers and assistant electoral commissioners who will be on duty on Saturday also cast their vote.

On Thursday, two-thirds of those who were eligible to vote did so in hospitals – Mater Dei, Karin Grech, Mount Carmel and Gozo General.

The government has subsidised 854 Maltese citizens to fly on KM Malta Airlines to be in Malta on Saturday.

There are 707 candidates for local council elections, with 476 places available. There are then 39 candidates for the European Parliament, with six seats available.