Gonzi blames Labour for no voting abroad

Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi has blamed Labour for the fact that Maltese people working or studying abroad cannot vote from their country of residence. Dr Gonzi “agrees” that Maltese people entitled to vote should be able to do so at Maltese embassies, a spokesman for the Prime Minister told The Times, in the wake of an online petition by expats. “The Government did take steps over this legislature to improve the electoral process. Unfortunately, it was the Opposition that stepped back and abandoned discussions on these important issues,” the spokesman said, adding that the Government wanted to discuss these issues in a parliamentary Select Committee. The committee was set up after the Prime Minister wrote to Opposition leader Joseph Muscat in July 2008. In his letter, Dr Gonzi had said he had “no difficulty” discussing any suggestion that could improve the country’s democratic operations. He specifically referred to the right to vote in embassies for those who work or study abroad. Labour had withdrawn from the Select Committee for democratic change in March 2010 after a controversial vote in Parliament over the power station extension contract. On that day, parliamentary...