Updated 7.36pm

ADPD and its former leader Arnold Cassola have complained, separately, that the Electoral Commission is refusing to give them full access to the vote-counting process, as it will be doing to the main political parties.

The commission is arguing that in terms of the electoral law, it is bound to give such access only to the parties represented in parliament.

ADPD leader Carmel Cacopardo said he had had a meeting with the chief electoral commissioner to discuss the situation.

 He argued that when vote-counting was manual, the party could oversee the whole counting process, but this would no longer be possible with electronic vote-counting unless they were given access to the electronic data.  

Cacopardo said the law allows the Electoral Commission to remedy the situation, and its failure to do so would confirm that the PLPN has totally taken over the commission, which is the most important organ to safeguard the electoral process. 

Cassola, meanwhile, said in a statement that the Electoral Commission is refusing to give him access to the area where 'dubious' votes are examined once they are rejected by the electronic counters. 

He said the commission was considering his request and he would stay at the Naxxar counting offices until his access card was issued.  

Cassola said at 7.20pm that the commission had finally issued him with an access pass and that he was therefore ending his sit-in.