Malta should make it mandatory for citizens to vote at general elections, former Education and Foreign Affairs Minister Evarist Bartolo has proposed.

“I know it’s controversial but the time has come to discuss whether voting should be mandatory,” Bartolo said during a recent discussion on the TVM show Popolin.

“Voting isn’t only a responsibility but a duty, particularly since we’re on a trend where more and more people don’t want to vote. More people not voting means the political parties will be more comfortable simply pleasing their fanatics.”

Around 60,000 people didn’t vote at last year’s general election, setting a new Maltese record, and Bartolo predicted that, at this rate, the number will only rise at next year’s European Parliament election and the next general election.

“People are disillusioned with their party but aren’t ready to vote for the other party,” he said as he criticised the PL and PN for failing to properly study the phenomenon of non-voters in the 2022 election.

During the discussion show, Bartolo also proposed that Cabinet members suspend themselves from Parliament so as to strengthen the separation between the legislative and executive branches of Maltese democracy.

He argued that this move will free up government MPs to scrutinise their own government.