Housing Minister Roderick Galdes has brushed off accusations of gerrymandering ahead of the June local elections after 99 voters switched their address to an government housing block in Siġġiewi, despite not living there.

Last month, the Nationalist Party asked the court to switch the residents' addresses back to their current homes because the building was not ready to house people.

The party said it had caught the government gerrymandering and pointed out that "coincidentally", two-thirds are from the electoral district of the housing minister.

But Galdes dismissed accusations that the Labour is using its power in government to introduce new voters into Siġġiewi and help nudge the local council election there in its favour. 

“The accusations of gerrymandering in the elections are not true,” Galdes told journalists on Monday. 

“Over the years I have received numerous parliamentary questions from members of the Nationalist Party asking me when the block will be ready. Now that it is ready, they filed a court application, it is shameful.”

“Gerrymandering is when you gain something more, so when it comes to the elections of MEPs and local councils, this makes no difference,” he said.

“Today we have a situation where a person can contest in Mdina, but live in Qormi. Someone can contest in Gozo and live in St Paul’s Bay, it makes no difference, this is the law.”

The huge, newly constructed housing block, named after the late Labour MP Silvio Parnis, is still being finished.Previously, Times of Malta visited the site and confirmed that while the block is in its finishing stages, the apartments – at least on the ground floor – are empty of all furniture and amenities.

On Friday, three women amongst the 99 registered as residing at the social housing admitted in court that they do not live there. Two of the women said they were currently living in Qormi with their parents because the Siġġiewi housing was currently uninhabitable. 

Galdes, however, insisted there were "people who are living there". 

When Times of Malta visited the social housing site, the finishing touches are still being made to the Siġġiewi apartments. Photo: Chris Sant Fournier

He said that soon a social housing building will be inaugurated in Bormla, and asked if the Opposition also plans on filing court applications against the new residents.

"These are vindictive court applications," he said.

"Do you believe as Housing, we should make people wait another month before moving into social housing because of an election," he asked.

When asked if it is a coincidence that two-thirds of the people are from his electoral district, Galdes said that when people apply for social housing, they apply for that close to their original locality.

"I don't expect these people to go to Gozo, or far away from where their families are. So it was a coincidence that yes, this social housing apartment is in my district. Is Bormla in my district? Let us be fair," he said.