Dogged Cassola Puts Foot Down In Sit-In Protest After Being Denied Entry To Dubious Votes Area
Independent candidate Arnold Cassola put his foot down yesterday and staged a sit-in protest at the voting hall in Naxxar.
This came after he was denied entry into the area which examines the “dubious” votes, votes that were not given an immediate pass by the Electoral Commission and need to be re-assessed.
“Electoral Commission refused to give me a pass to enter the area where dubious votes are examined, so I protested,” Cassola said in a statement.
He thanked a “kind receptionist” who offered him a hot coffee as he spent an hour and a half “in the cold”.
Cassola protested while the Electoral Commission examined his request, with the independent candidate waiting at the hall in Naxxar until an entry card is issued.
After around three hours, at 7:20pm, the Electoral Commission granted Cassola the entry tag, and he ended his sit-in protest.
Cassola then issued an update this morning, where it was unveiled that third parties and independent candidates will not be given access to the area of the new electronic ballots.
“After my sit-in yesterday, they provided me with access to all parts of the counting hall, on both sides of the glass divider. However, none of us, including all small parties, has access to the count of the new electronic ballots. Only PN and PL have direct contact to monitor how it is going minute by minute,” Cassola warned.
Do you think that equal access should be given to all candidates?
READ NEXT: Two Men Die While COVID-19 Positive As Malta Finds 375 New Cases
