House to debate electoral boundaries

Parliament will tomorrow debate a motion tabled by the Prime Minister seeking to approve the Electoral Commission’s revised electoral boundaries as presented last November.

The revision was necessary as the 12 electoral districts in Malta have five per cent more or five per cent less voters than Gozo, the thirteenth district, which has 28,360 voters.

Although Malta has strict proportionality between votes cast in general elections and representation in parliament when two political parties are successful at a general election, the boundaries come into play in determining the result should a third party successfully elect a candidate. In that case, adjustments for proportionality (by adding more MPs) are not made, and MPs are elected only according to each district. Five MPs are elected from each district.

In its report, the Commission amended all districts in Malta apart from the ninth (Għargħur, Msida, Swatar, San Ġwann, Kappara, Swieqi, Madliena and ta’ Xbiex).

The commission noted that on March 31, 2016, the number of voters in the Maltese Islands was 339,616, of which 28,360 were in Gozo.

Three members of the commission – PN representatives Mario Callus, Ray Zammit and...