MaltaMedia.com

The final turnout of voters on Saturday stood at 79% for the European Parliament Elections according to official figures released by the Electoral Commission. This shows a decrease of 3% over the 2004 elections which had seen a turnout of 82%.

Meanwhile the final turnout for the Local Councils Election in 23 localities stood at 77%, In 2004, 82% of voters had cast their vote for local elections. The localities voting in 2004 were however different.

Final turnout for local council elections per locality were as follows: Mdina – 85%, Bormla – 78%, Żabbar – 84%, Rabat (G) – 83%, Birkirkara – 79%, Fgura – 85%, Gudja – 93%, Għarb – 83%, Għaxaq – 88%, Kalkara – 86%, Lija – 88%, Marsaskala – 86%, Mġarr – 90%, Msida – 79%, Naxxar – 76%, Pieta’ – 80%, Rabat (M) – 83%, San Ġwann – 81%, Sannat (G) – 84%, Sliema – 73%, Tarxien – 82%, Xgħajra – 98%, Mtarfa – 91%.

Sorting and counting will not start before noon Sunday, following instructions from the European Parliament since these elections are being held in all 27 EU member states.

The European Parliament Elections are being held for the second time since Malta joined the EU in 2004. Five MEPs have to be elected while the first runner-up will have observer status and if confirmed by the Lisbon Treaty, will become the 6th MEP for Malta.

The ballot paper contains 34 names, from all the Maltese political parties and a few independent candidates.

MaltaMedia is providing 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. Video coverage is also available in collaboration with Favourite Channel. Click here to watch videos.