MaltaMedia.com

Friday is a day of reflection for Maltese voters ahead of Saturday’s European Parliament and Local Council Elections. In accordance to law, all propaganda had to be silenced by Thursday at midnight to allow voters a day of reflection before Saturday’s vote.

Eligible voters had the chance to collect their voting document also until midnight on Thursday. Around 17,000 voting documents for EP elections were still not collected on Thursday afternoon.

In the meantime, EU-wide voting for the European Parliament started on Thursday with the Netherlands and Britain the first to go to the polls. Ireland voters go to the polls on Friday. Latvia, Cyprus, Slovakia, like Malta, vote on Saturday and Italy and the Czech Republic over the weekend. The remaining 18 countries vote on Sunday. All EU member states will have voted by Sunday.

The first results are expected late on Sunday. The counting of votes of the European Parliament Elections in Malta will start at noon, Sunday, at the Naxxar counting Hall. Local Council Election votes will be counted next week.

Actually voting has already started as 1,070 voters could cast their vote on Saturday 30th May 2009, a week before actual polling day. Voting took place at the former Trade Fair Grounds in Naxxar. Some 400 of the voters were also eligible to vote for the local elections. The voters included athletes who are currently representing Malta in the Small Nations Games of the Small States of Europe in Cyprus. The Electoral Law was amended to allow early voting a few weeks ago following a call by the Maltese Olympic Committee. Once the voting was over, the boxes were sealed by the Electoral Commission and put away in a strong room at the Naxxar office to be opened only when the counting starts on Sunday 7th June 2009.

Malta is to elect five members to the European Parliament. The unelected candidate with the largest number of votes at the last count will be declared Malta’s sixth MEP, with observer status, and will take his or her seat if and when the Lisbon Treaty provision allocating Malta the sixth seat in the European Parliament comes into effect.

The newly elected MEPs will take their seats in one of Europe’s most powerful political institutions, scrutinising and shaping legislation that covers everything from air quality to the cost of mobile phone calls.

MaltaMedia will provide special election coverage starting Saturday, with particular emphasis on Sunday until the official result for the European Parliament Elections is announced. It has already launched a special election blogosphere and will provide an SMS breaking news service on Vodafone number 5090 2060.