PN calls to cancel illegal prisoner votes as some were ineligible

Mar 21 2022

The Opposition has called on the Electoral Commission to cancel voting which was held last Saturday at the prisons as part of the run-up for the general election.

The Nationalist Party said that several prisoners appeared to have taken part in the voting even though they are not eligible to vote. The call was spearheaded by PN general secretary Michael Piccinino in a letter to the Chief Electoral Commissioner.

He observed how in terms of the law, people sentenced to more than a year imprisonment are not eligible to vote. The Court registrars on the island are obliged to notify the electoral commission every month of prison inmates sentenced for more than a year in jail.

Piccinino wrote that ’it is manifestly clear, as will result to the commission, that the list of some 180 persons issued by the Electoral Commission included several names of persons ineligible to vote, and the Electoral Commission took no action to stop them from voting.’

He said there are clear shortcomings by the commission and the court registrar that vitiated last Saturday’s electoral process. The chief electoral commissioner was thus asked to cancel last Saturday’s vote and to hold it once more after the list of eligible voters was updated. The PN reserved the right to take the matter to the Constitutional Court.

This follows the Electoral Commission handing the delegates of the political parties a list of prison inmates set to vote in the early election on March 16th. The PN delegate on the same day informed the commission that at least one inmate had not been removed despite being ineligible to vote as he had been sentenced to a jail term of more than 10 years. The party also pointed out that, is the case mentioned, there could be other prisoners who were not entitled to vote. The voting went ahead regardless.

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Labour not proposing abortion responds party to vague clause

Mar 21 2022

After some pro-life organisations raised concerns that the Labour Party was proposing abortion due to a ‘vaguely-worded clause’ in the manifesto, the party issued a clarification in reply to confirm it was not proposing.

This comes in reply to pro-life LifeNetwork Foundation’s accusations after they sent questions to the prime minister last week. They wanted Robert Abela to clarify that the party was not proposing abortion as a clause seemed to ambiguously infer abortion rights.

Proposal 506 of Labour’s electoral manifesto, lists under the subhead Sexual Health in all of its diversity, says that a Labour government will update the sexual health policy in the shortest possible time. The new policy will ‘reflect today;’s realities with regards to health, sexual and reproductive rights, in all of their diversity.’

The party said that the prime minister’s position on the subject ‘was made very clear in a press release issued by the PL in May 2021 and remains consistent.’ The party had at time reported that the prime minister was against the legalisation of abortion but he believed that he needed to carefully follow the public discussion.

This also follows demanded assurances last week by Doctors for Life Foundation over the wording of the manifesto proposals regarding abortion and euthanasia. The PL clarified that despite it having suggested the start of a national discussion on the introduction of voluntary euthanasia, it was not pledging to make the practice legal if re-elected to government and there were still different views on the matter within the party.’

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Retirement bonus for government workers pledged by PN

Mar 21 2022

Nationalist party leader Bernard Grech pledged to give all public service workers a tax-exempt one-off bonus when retiring from their government job.

The initiative forms part of a package of proposals in the manifesto of the Opposition which aim to improve the conditions of work for public service employees.

However, Grech gave no costings for the measures he listed, adding that these will be released in the coming days. Acknowledging that the proposals will cost money, he said that it is not an expenditure but an investment. ‘Costings have been done and will be published in the coming days’ he insisted.

The bonus for public service workers will be equivalent to one-year’s wage and will be implemented immediately. He labelled it as a thank you gesture tho those who dedicated their energy in public service.

Grech went on to explain how a PN government will revise and improve pay scales of all government employees to better reflect market prices. He accused the PL of side-lining talent to make way for persons of trust. ‘They promised us meritocracy and delivered nepotism.’

Grech said that the bonus to front liners he had also promised will be self-sustaining because a PN government will cut down on the number of persons of trust.

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Bernard Grech vows to stay ‘with Malta after Saturday’ as PN leader

Mar 21 2022

When asked by journalists about what would happen if he were to lose the election next Saturday, Opposition leader Bernard Grech said that he will remain with voters for Malta.

Grech seems to be showing no signs of dropping from his position as leader of the Nationalist Party. ‘I am with you for Malta and after Saturday, I will remain with you for Malta’ he said.

Grech did not want to speculate on the general election and the projections of surveys. He said that the best and only survey is that of Saturday.

He went on to highlight how when people go to vote they will be alone in the polling booth and no one will know how they voted. He said that that in that room, one can decide to put an end to oppression and ‘take power away from Robert Abela.’

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