The Maltese
Parliament on Wednesday night approved changes in the Maltese Constitution that
cater for significant changes in general elections. Gozo will remain a single
unified electoral district while strict proportionality between the number of
first preferences and the number of seats obtained will be guaranteed when two
parties are elected.
These
changes have to be implemented by the Electoral Commission by this Sunday, the
deadline before the publication of the next electoral district. If this
deadline is missed, a general election called before April 2008, when the
following register is published, would be based on the current electoral
register which sees Ghajnsielem part of the 12th rather than the 13th
(Gozo) district.
This had been done to
keep the 13th district within certain limits in the number of
voters.
The
amendments were passed in one sitting where both the Government and Opposition
agree, though Opposition Leader Alfred Sant lamented these changes had been
long coming and are now being rushed.
