Here’s What Small Political Parties In Malta Have Done In The Last Week Of The Election Campaign
In just two days, Malta will be electing a new government to lead them into the next five years. The snap election is one of the biggest and most important ones Malta has faced in years, especially in light of dozens of cases of corruption and scandal.
It is also the first time that a few of the small political parties will be contesting in a Maltese general election.
So, just in case you feel like you’ve missed out on anything, here is a list of what they’ve been up to this week:
ADPD
Denied access to electoral counting data
Members of ADPD have been denied access to electoral counting data entirely, disallowing them from checking and verifying the counting process.
“We cannot put our mind at rest as to the absence of foul play in the process”, said representatives of the party.
The Electoral Commission has apparently stuck by their decision, basing it on the electoral law which grants exclusive rights of access to electoral counting data to political parties represented in parliament.
“If the Electoral Commission keeps refusing to solve the problem it will confirm that PLPN have hijacked this important institution in ensuring that the electoral process is run fairly”.
Proposals on LGBTIQ+ rights
Non-binary candidate, Mina Tolu recently spoke about the party’s set of proposals regarding LGBTIQ+ rights. These include:
- Increased funding to the Gender Wellbeing Clinic to decrease waiting times and allowing inclusive access to all;
- Working to abolish a ban on blood donations by sexually active homosexual men;
- Broadening of legal gender recognition policies to allow non-binary people to change their names.
Volt
Takes ownership of “controversial” label
Volt have officially taken ownership of the “controversial” label they are often given for their liberal policies.
They believe that when comparing the manifestos released so far by other parties, theirs is the most controversial in terms of the conversations it aims to encourage people to have in the country and the legislative topics it wishes to propose.
Releases a “minifesto”
Volt has made their election manifesto more accessible and split it into “bite-sized chunks” to assist potential voters who haven’t managed to read the full version. You can access it here.
Arnold Cassola
Sit in protest at Naxxar Counting Hall
Cassola held a three-hour-long protest at the Naxxar counting hall earlier this week to get a tag to allow him access to the area where votes are being examined.
Apart from this Cassola, like all other independent candidates and small political parties, Cassola has been denied access to the electronic ballots. This means that only the PL and PN will have the ability to monitor the situation minute by minute.
Slams plans for supermarket development on ancient catacombs and cart ruts
Cassola has slammed plans for a supermarket development project to be built on top of ancient catacombs and cart ruts in Mosta.
“Our political system has systematically rewarded unsustainable development projects and rarely found a balance which favours the environment “ said Cassola.
Reports potential corrupt racket at Identity Malta to the police
Cassola has claimed to receive a letter saying that a high official at Identity Malta was in league with employees of an estate agency to “cream off” commissions from the sale of property to Maltese citizenship buyers. He has reported the incident to the police.
ABBA
Calls for Maltese general election to be nullified
Ivan Grech Mintoff, the ABBA Party leader has called on the electoral monitors of the Organisation for Security Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to deem the upcoming general election invalid.
He called for them to do so citing a litany of “unacceptable” electoral practices. He also called out the rules allowing only vaccinated individuals and people with a valid negative PCR test into the counting hall. The party has already lost a court petition regarding this issue.
Partit Popolari
Remove taxes for families who have special needs family members
The right-wing conservative party has called for families with special needs family members to be exempt from taxes. They said the reasoning behind this proposal is that having special needs family members can often lead to extra costs, therefore exempting them from tax would help ease the burden.
Make increasing wages the main economic goal
Partit Popolari has called for economic policy to be more focused on increasing wages, rather than focussing on economic growth per se.
They have also called for a minimum income scheme for all designed by Milton Friedman, a Nobel Prize in Economic winner. The scheme is called “Negative Income Tax”.
Reiterates calls for a Gozitan government
Earlier on in their election campaign, Partit Popolari called for Gozo to be allowed to have an autonomous government and this week they have reiterated such calls.
They also called for the Minister for Gozo to be chosen by the Gozitan people, rather than the party who will win the general election.
End the green pass in Malta
The party has called for an end to the COVID-19 vaccine certificate or green pass and for measures to be put in place to ensure that nothing like it happens again.
Have you decided who you will be voting for on Saturday?
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