Partit Malta Progressiva wants to get rid of electoral districts, have fewer, full-time MPs and introduce proportional representation into Malta’s electoral system.
The newly-created political party – which has yet to officially announce itself - is also proposing a change to get rid of the advantage of being listed near the start of the ballot and nullify the impact of so-called donkey voting, the practice of voting for candidates in the order in which they appear on the ballot sheet.
Its calls come days after Times of Malta revealed secret government plans to redraw some electoral district boundaries. None of the two parties in parliament has commented on that report.
In a statement on Saturday, the PMP said those plans are “a blatant attempt at gerrymandering, aimed at manipulating electoral districts for the ruling party’s benefit.”
Instead, the focus should be on reforming the existing electoral system to ensure transparency and fairness and including all stakeholders.
“Reform should not be determined by those in power for their own interests but should be designed to reflect the will and needs of the Maltese and Gozitan people,” the party said.
This week, the Chamber of Commerce also unveiled its proposals to slash parliament to 45 MPs (from 79) while making them full-time.
PMP proposals:
- A single national district for Malta, with Gozo recognised as a separate region that elects its representatives directly.
- A reduction in the number of MPs, with those elected serving on a full-time basis.
- The introduction of a proportional representation system to ensure that every vote carries equal weight.
- Parties to be required to field an equal number of male and female candidates which alternate on the ballot sheet using the so-called Robson Rotation system first used in Tasmania in the 1980s.