As the European Parliament election in May is nearing, the Maltese government issued information for EU citizens living in Malta in related to their options to vote for MEP candidates.
Resident non-Maltese EU citizens can choose to vote in Malta for candidates standing for election in Malta or vote for candidates representing their home country.
Resident non-Maltese EU citizens who possess a valid Maltese Residence Card issued by Identity Malta Agency were offered to choose whether they would like to elect candidates representing Malta or their own country during the registration procedure for their residency document.
People who opted not to vote in Malta “may become registered voters by completing an appropriate application form which needs to be received at the Electoral Office,” by 31 March, according to a press statement issued by the government’s Department of Information (DOI). The form is available for download at the Electoral Commission’s website, as well as can be obtained from the Electoral Office (Valletta and Rabat, Gozo) or local council offices and police stations.
People who do not own a valid Residence Card issued by the Identity Malta are required to “apply at the Citizenship Department, Identity Malta Agency, Evans Building, Valletta,” by 31 March the latest, and sign whether they would like to vote in Malta.
Those who decide to vote in Malta bind themselves not to vote in this election in their home country.
The European Parliament election begins on Thursday, 23 May and ends on Sunday, 26 May, in 2019.
The European Parliament operates at three different locations; Brussels (Belgium), the city of Luxembourg (Luxembourg) and Strasbourg (France). Meetings — or “plenary sessions” — are held in Strasbourg and Brussels, while the administrative offices reside in Luxembourg.