Maltese athletes should be able to vote in the June European Elections
The European Parliament Valletta Office is encouraging the Electoral Commission to come up with a satisfactory solution so that the Maltese athletes who will not be in Malta for the European Elections on 6th June 2009 will still be able to exercise their right to vote.
The Malta Olympic Committee has drawn the attention of the Electoral Commission, which is responsible for organising the European Elections in Malta, that a group of around 120 Maltese athletes will be participating in the Small Nations' Games in Cyprus and will therefore not be able to physically cast their vote.
Scheduled for the first week of June, the Small Nations' Games will coincide with the European Elections to be held around the EU's 27 Member States between 4th and 7th June 2009.
Julian Vassallo, Head of the European Parliament Valletta Office, said it was the EP's institutional concern to encourage citizens to exercise their right to vote in the upcoming European election.
The European Parliament therefore supports the Malta Olympic Committee's petition and is encouraging the Electoral Commission to come up with a solution.
"The Malta Olympic Committee is quite right to insist that sportsmen and women should not sacrifice their political rights as EU citizens when representing their country in another EU member state," Dr Vassallo said.
He added that the issue also raises the broader question of whether the extremely limited options for the Maltese to exercise their right to vote can still be defended today with the technology and security possibilities that are available in a country that prides itself with its IT prowess.
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