The European Parliament Office in Malta welcomes the application by the Electoral Commission to the Revising Officer to reinstate 945 citizens of the European Union resident in Malta who were struck off the Electoral Register by the same Electoral Commission in a manner declared unlawful and irregular by the Attorney General.

The European Parliament Office is however astonished to note the efforts of the Electoral Commission to try to shift the blame for its contravention of both Maltese and European Law to the Office of the European Parliament and others.

It is truly absurd for a body established by the Constitution of Malta to seek to justify its contravention of the few laws it is charged to apply on the basis of the supposed approval of the text of an advertisement by others who do not carry the same responsibilities. The Office of the European Parliament categorically denies that it ever vetted an advertisement of the Electoral Commission. Indeed the meeting between the Head of the European Parliament Office and the Secretary of the Electoral Commission occurred in the context of a complaint by the EP Office on the limited time being given to recently arrived EU citizens to add their names to the Electoral Register. That period of time had been subsequently extended.

In order for the Electoral Commission to correctly administer the up-coming European Parliament Elections in a serene manner it needs to enjoy the trust and confidence of the electorate. An apology for the inconvenience caused to the citizens concerned by the illegal actions of the Commission would now be in order.

The European Parliament Valletta Office

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