Non-Maltese residents may register for EP elections

The European Parliament announced yesterday that non-Maltese EU citizens resident in Malta will be able to apply to be included in the EP elections register from 1 October.
This will entitle them to vote in the Maltese EP elections for candidates fielded by Maltese political parties and independents.
EU citizens resident in Malta must register to be included in the Maltese EP Elections Register and vote in the up-coming elections.
Inclusion in the register cannot be automatic since EU citizens resident in Malta have to first of all choose where it is they wish to vote. In the case they want to vote in Malta, they are required to submit a form to the electoral commission to be included in the EP elections register. The electoral commission will then inform the respective foreign authorities which will in turn strike the persons off the list in their country, as it is illegal for the same person to vote in the EP elections in two EU member states.
These forms must be submitted at the Offices of the Electoral Commission in Malta or Gozo together with an identification document. Instructions on how to go about the registration procedure will be issued by the Electoral Commission in the coming days.
Meanwhile, the Head of the EP Valletta Office, Dr Julian Vassallo, said that “it is imperative that once the registration process begins EU Citizens resident in Malta are given clear, consistent information about how to go about registering and no undue obstacles are placed in their path. In such a case the EP Office in Malta is confident that there remains enough time for all such EU citizens to register and exercise their right to vote in Malta”.
If, on the other hand, the resident decides to vote in his or her respective country, then she would fall under the modalities of that country’s electoral law at polling booths in the same country.

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