On the same day that Vivienne Reding reached an agreement on the residency requirements of new Maltese citizens, she also issued a warning to the Maltese government on the inalienable voting rights of Maltese living abroad. AD Chairperson, Prof. Arnold Cassola, said: “The European Commission’s statement vindicates what Alternattiva Demokratika has been saying for years on end. As pronounced in my constitutional court case against the Alfred Sant-Joseph Muscat attempt to deprive me of my voting rights in 2003, residence is defined as ‘not necessarily physical presence in Malta but habitual presence, with links and interests to our country’. This means that all Maltese citizens living abroad – and not only the ones buying citizenship as from now – have an inalienable right to vote in national elections even if they live most of their time abroad.”
AD Deputy Chairperson, Carmel Cacopardo, said: “It is about time that the Maltese government sheds its medieval mindset on this issue and started to treat Maltese citizens abroad with the dignity they deserve. The last-minute crisis management operations for subsidised tickets and charter flights to transport expat voters are a drain on the national airline, and also serve as a loophole for the PL and the PN to access voters’ personal data. Even though many Maltese expats currently avail themselves of subsidised tickets for a lightning voting trip, this arrangement excludes many other people whose different commitments would keep them in their host country on election day, or else who have temporary travel impediments, such as pregnancy, sickness or immobility. These situations also give rise to Maltese voters changing their voting residence and voting for Euro and local elections in their host country which, though perfectly legitimate, frequently arises through this surreptitious disenfranchisement. We therefore agree that, as in the majority of EU countries, Maltese resident abroad should be able to vote in the nearest Maltese embassy.”
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Dakinhar stess li Vivienne Reding laħqet ftehim mal-gvern Malti dwar ir-rekwiżiti tar-residenza għaċ-ċittadini Maltin ġodda, wissiet ukoll lill-gvern dwar id-dritt tal-vot tal-Maltin li jgħixu barra.
Il-Prof Arnold Cassola, Chairpreson tal-AD qal: “Il-Kummissjoni Ewropea qed tagħti raġun lil dak li l-Alternattiva ilha tgħid is-snin. Is-sentenza fil-kawża kostituzzjonali tiegħi kontra t-tentattiv ta’ Alfred Sant u Joseph Muscat biex ineħħuli d-dritt tal-vot fl-2003 tiddefinixxi r-residenza bħala ‘mhux neċessarjament preżenza fiżika f’Malta, imma preżenza abitwali, b’rabtiet u interessi f’pajjiżna’. Dan ifisser li ċ-ċittadini Maltin kollha li jgħixu barra – u mhux dawk biss li issa se jibdew jixtru ċ-ċittadinanza – għandhom id-dritt li jivvutaw fl-elezzjonijiet nazzjonali anki jekk jgħixu għal żmien twil barra minn Malta.”
Id-Deputat Chairperson tal-AD, Carmel Cacopardo, żied jgħid, “Wasal iż-żmien li l-gvern malti jneħħi l-mentalità medjevali tiegħu dwar din il-kwistjoni u jibda jittratta liċ-ċittadini Maltin li jgħixu barra bid-dinjità li ħaqqhom. Il-kriżijiet tal-aħħar minuta biex inniżlu lill-Maltin ta’ barra jivvutaw huma piż fuq il-linja tan-nazzjonali tal-ajru, u jservu wkoll bħala skuża biex il-PL u l-PN jiksbu informazzjoni kunfidenzjali dwar il-votanti. Anki jekk bosta Maltin ta’ barra jgawdu minn vjaġġi sussidjati biex jinżlu għal mawra ta’ malajr biex jivvutaw, dan l-arranġament jeskludi nies oħra li jkolhhom impenji li jżommuhom fil-pajjiż ospitanti tagħhom jew ikollhom impediment biex jivjaġġaw bħal tqala, mard jew immobilità. Dawn is-sitwazzjonijiet jagħtu wkoll lok għal każijiet fejn il-votant Malti ta’ barra jibda jivvota ghall-elezzjonijiet lokali u Ewropej fil-pajjiż fejn joqgħod minflok f’Malta li, għalkemm ħaġa leġittima, hija spiss riżultat ta’ dan il-mod kif jiħdulek id-dritt tal-vot minn taħt. Naqblu għalhekk li bħal fil-biċċa l-kbira tal-pajjiżi tal-UE, il-Maltin ta’ barra jkunu jistgħu jivvutaw fl-eqreb ambaxxata Maltija.”
