Civil society group Repubblika has published a series of proposals it says are needed to help fight corruption in elections. Unveiled on Tuesday, the document outlines a series of measures that need to be taken to "challenge the status quo and the underlying consensus of tolerance" for certain misconduct. Addressing a press conference, Repubblika president Robert Aquilina said the most basic element of a functioning democracy is free and fair elections. "In Malta, the abuse of what is referred to as the power of incumbency is not a new problem. But, certainly, this is no excuse to not challenge the status quo and the widespread tolerance for this sort of misconduct. "Without a doubt, the fact that elections fall exclusively within the remit of the politicians themselves does not help," Aquilina said. What are the proposals? 1. The existing law should no continue to be ignored, Repubblika said. Before any changes are implemented, the law already in place should be followed and enforced. The NGO expects enforcement agencies to step up their efforts to actively act against corruption in elections. 2. The NGO called for better resources to be provided to the independent media...