The Labour Party and the Nationalist Party were con-committal in replies regarding a proposal by the Chamber of Commerce to reduce the number of MPs, preferring to give general answers without going into the specifics

Smaller parties, however, namely ADPD and Momentum, seemed keener to reply as they seek to break the duopoly in Parliament which has existed since Independence was obtained in 1964.

This scenario seems to fall in line with sentiments that have been expressed in the past, suggesting that the PN and PL have an interest in maintaining the status quo when it comes to the parliamentary and electoral systems, as they solidify their positions as the only two parties represented in Parliament.

The Malta Independent on Sunday contacted the PN and the PL for comments regarding both parties' thoughts on the Chamber of Commerce's proposal for an electoral reform that would see the number of MPs reduced from 79 to 45 in addition to a decrease in the number of electoral districts, as well as better remuneration for MPs and positions such as that of Ministers, the Prime Minister, and the Opposition Leader.

Both major parties were asked what they believe would be the consequences, positive or negative, of reducing the number of MPs and electoral districts. The parties were also asked if some form of electoral reform in general is necessary, even if not specifically the Chamber's particular proposal.

The PL replied by stating that the government is committed by the electoral programme to launch a public consultation on the electoral system. It continued that the PL would be participating in the consultation process and sharing its thoughts on new and existing proposals. It added that the priority at this stage is to preserve the positive aspects of the existing system, "including the single transferable vote system, which is considered the fairest system because it reflects the vote of the electorate in parliamentary representation".

We are in the second half of the legislature, and no proposals regarding a change in the electoral system have as yet been presented by the government.

For its part, the PN replied that it believes that a holistic discussion is needed on parliamentary work, and added that a future Nationalist government would initiate such discussion "as has been the party's position since before the last general election". It commented that the party had proposed doing so in its 2022 electoral programme.

Momentum and ADPD were also contacted to discuss the same topic, providing a deeper insight into the chamber's proposals.

Arnold Cassola, Chairperson of Momentum, said that the proposal by the Chamber is "indeed a valid one". He stated that the chamber proposed five electoral districts which would return 9 MPs each, adding that it is also proposing a national threshold of 5% for a party to elect an MP.

With that in mind, Cassola said that Momentum would slightly amend this proposal in order to ensure that Gozo would remain a district on its own. He said that this would respect the unanimously passed 2006 parliamentary motion which decrees that Gozo remains a single electoral district regardless of its population, and added that it would also respect the historical, geographical, and cultural reality whereby Gozo has been considered a "semi-autonomous entity since Roman times, when Gozo had its own municipium separate from the Maltese one".

Cassola stated that Momentum's proposal is that Gozo should elect 5 MPs as an electoral district, whilst the four other electoral districts in Malta would return 10 MPs each. "With this arrangement, Gozo would be more represented in parliament, with 5 out of 45 MPs rather than 5 out of 65, as it is now."

He added that Momentum also believes that the minimum threshold to elect 1 MP should be 3%.

On the matter of remuneration, Cassola said that Momentum agrees that MPs should be paid full-time for the duration of their parliamentary mandate. "However," he commented, "they should give up their normal work during this period."

Cassola continued that employees should be guaranteed the possibility of returning to their work once their parliamentary mandate is over. He said that having parliamentarians dedicated full time to their parliamentary activity, in addition to a vast increase in research resources, would help those parliamentarians to be more prepared on the topics they would be tackling. He remarked that it would also minimise the risk of backbenchers being 'bought' by the government, "as happens with the present system where backbenchers are assigned extra paid work with government entities".

The Malta Independent on Sunday also asked the Momentum Chairperson if a reduction in the number of elected MPs could harm the future potential of smaller parties to achieve seats in parliament. In February, the newsroom contacted some academics for their thoughts on the Chamber's proposal. One of those academics was Dr Anne Marie Thake, who had commented that due to Malta's "strong two-party system", a reduction in MPs may make it harder for smaller parties to "break through".

Cassola replied to the question by saying that the system would actually make it slightly easier for smaller parties and independent candidates to be elected. He said that this would be the case because the district threshold in Malta would go down from the present 16.6% to around 9%. "Of course, 9% is still enormously high by any democratic yardstick. However, the 3% national threshold would, in some way, make up for this very high district threshold," he stated.

Ultimately, the Momentum Chairman stated that a change in the electoral system is "desperately needed". He remarked that "the big problem" is that there has to be political will to change the system, "and the power to change it lies all in the hands of the Prime Minister". He continued that "present facts are showing us that Robert Abela is more intent on gerrymandering the electoral districts within the existing system to benefit the PL rather than reforming it".

"Without genuine political will, there can never be a change in the system," Cassola concluded.

Carmel Cacopardo, the Deputy Chairperson of ADPD, said that the issues with the electoral system are "much more complex than the chamber's proposals indicate".

He referred The Malta Independent on Sunday to a document ADPD had published in 2019 regarding constitutional changes the party had proposed and advocated for.

One of the proposals put forward by ADPD is that the proviso of Article 52 of the Constitution should be amended so that any political party which obtains 2.5% or more of the valid votes in the first count of the general election shall be assured of parliamentary representation corresponding to the votes obtained.

Similarly to what was suggested by Cassola, ADPD had also proposed that it shall not be permissible for MPs to engage in any other employment, including appointments on boards not directly associated with their parliamentary work, during their term of office.

Cacopardo said that ADPD "has legal action in hand focused on the basic issues", with those issues being "the discriminatory nature of the proportionality and gender balance constitutional adjustment mechanisms". He stated that the relevant constitutional case is currently at the appeal stage.

He commented that the current size of parliament, 79 MPs, is too large. He continued that it is possible to have a parliament which represents all views with 65 MPs. "Reducing more than that would create difficulties for the representation of minority views," he remarked.

"The number of electoral districts is ultimately irrelevant as long as adequate safeguards are in place to ensure proportionality applicable to all," the ADPD deputy chairperson concluded.