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Malta’s Electoral Commission Plays Down PD Leader’s Suspicions Over Voting Irregularities

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Democratic Party Leader Godfrey Farrugia has raised suspicions over voting regularities with his party filing two complaints with the electoral commission.

In one instance, Farrugia claimed that a blind woman who wanted to vote for him was told there was no “Dr Farrugia” on the ballot sheet and was told:

“Who do you want to vote for from the big parties?”

Speaking to The Times of Malta, an electoral commission said that in these cases officials had to ask voters a very specific question, “which candidate do you most want to be elected?”

“We have nevertheless sent instructions to officials at the polling station in question, reminding them of these instructions.”

He also claimed that officials at polling stations wrote ‘‘cancelled’ in pencil rather than pen on ballot papers that had to be replaced.

“I immediately objected and asked why they weren’t using the biro or permanent marker they had. They told me ‘the Commission gave us a pencil’. I asked them to write ‘cancelled’ in a way that could not be erased, and they did so for each cancelled vote they had until 9.30am”.

The electoral commission has said the pencil used was the same as the ones in voting booths.

“This is not the sort of pencil that can easily be erased, when a voter asks for a replacement ballot sheet, officials take the discarded sheet, place it face down and write ‘cancelled’ on it using these pencils,” the electoral commission told The Times of Malta.

Farrugia, however, said he was “not satisfied” with the replies saying that there had to be “so shadow of doubt” in the electoral process

READ NEXT: Prime Minister Joseph Muscat And PN Leader Adrian Delia Cast Their Votes In Malta’s MEP And Local Council Elections

Julian is the former editor of Lovin Malta and has a particular interest in politics, the environment, social issues, and human interest stories.

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