2024 European Parliament election in Malta
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
All 6 Maltese seats in the European Parliament | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
The 2024 European Parliament election will be held in Malta on 8 June 2024 in tandem with local elections.[1] It will be the fifth election to the European Parliament. Malta will elect 6 of the 720 Members of the European Parliament.[2] EU citizens aged 16 and over are entitled to vote, provided they have registered to do so.[1] Six different political parties have announced their participation, only 2 of these won seats in the last election these being the Labour Party and the Nationalist Party, with 4 and 2 seats respectively.[3]
Standing of Maltese seats in the EU Parliament
Party | European Party | Outgoing delegation | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Seats | Group | |||||
Labour Party | Incumbent MEPs: | PES | 4 | S&D | ||
Alfred Sant | ||||||
Josianne Cutajar | ||||||
Alex Agius Saliba | ||||||
Cyrus Engerer | ||||||
Nationalist Party | Incumbent MEPs: | EPP | 2 | EPP | ||
Roberta Metsola | ||||||
David Casa |
MEPs not standing for re-election
Departing MEP | Party | EP Group | First elected | Date announced | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Josianne Cutajar | Labour | S&D | 2019 | 15 January 2024[4] | ||
Cyrus Engerer | Labour | S&D | 2020 | 27 April 2024[5] | ||
Alfred Sant | Labour | S&D | 2014 | 12 March 2021[6] |
Participating parties/candidates
The below parties and/or independent candidates have declared their participation in the upcoming European Parliament elections in order of candidate quantity. The following source covers a list of candidates as of 14 April 2024.[7] Another source for this list is Electoral Commission press releases, which includes candidacies not reported at all by the media. Times of Malta released a final list after nominations closed.[8] A record total number of 39 candidates shall contest this election, also a record 13 of such being independents.[9]
Party | European Party | Quantity | Names | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour Party | PES | 9 |
| |||
Nationalist Party | EPP | 8[10] |
| |||
AD+PD | EGP | 4[11][12] |
| |||
Imperium Europa | – | 2 |
| |||
ABBA[14] | ECPM | 2 |
| |||
Volt Malta | Volt | 1[15][16] |
| |||
Independent candidates or non-registered parties |
Various or Non-inscrit | 13[8][9] |
|
The People's Party did not put forward any candidates and will not participate in the election at this stage.
Campaign
Labour Party
This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (April 2024) |
Nationalist Party
This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (April 2024) |
AD+PD
This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (April 2024) |
Imperium Europa
This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (April 2024) |
ABBA
ABBA started its campaign with two events organised in conjunction with the European Christian Political Movement party on 6 April 2024 in a Qawra hotel on 'Reclaiming the power for the member states'. Two pairs of individual speakers addressed the two consecutive events which revolved around 'Sovereignty and Healthcare' and 'Education and Foreign Policy'. Romanian MEP Cristian Terheș and party leader Ivan Grech Mintoff addressed the first meeting, with Valeriu Ghilețchi and lawyer and broadcaster Emmanuel 'Emmy' Bezzina addressed the second meeting.[28]
Volt Malta
Volt's campaign began with the adoption of their joint European election programme November 2023 in Paris, which the party shares with all other parties from Volt Europa.[29] On 1 February 2024, Volt announced its Vice President Matthias Iannis Portelli as its first (and only) candidate for the European elections.[30]
Independents
This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (April 2024) |
Electoral system
MEPs are elected from a nationwide six-seat constituency by single transferable vote.[31] Candidates who pass the Hagenbach-Bischoff quota in the first round are elected, and any surplus votes transferred to the remaining candidates, who will be elected if this enables them to pass the quota.[31] The lowest ranked candidates are then eliminated one-by-one with their preferences transferred to other candidates, who are elected as they pass the quotient, until all six seats are filled.
Debates
2024 Maltese European Parliament Election debates | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Date | Time | Organizers | P Present A Absent invitee N Non-invitee | |||||||
Labour | Nationalist | IE | AD+PD | ABBA | Volt | Independents | Refs | |||
12 April | 9:05 am | Chamber of SMEs | P
Thomas Bajada |
P
Norma Camilleri |
P
Terrence Portelli |
N | N | N | N | [32] |
9:55 am | P
Steve Ellul |
P
David Agius |
N | P
Ralph Cassar | ||||||
24 April | 8:30 am | P
Peter Agius |
N | Arnold Cassola | [33] | |||||
2 May | 12:30 pm | MUDU | P
Daniel Attard Marija Sara Vella Gafà |
P
Peter Agius Miriana Calleja Testaferrata de Noto |
A
Norman Lowell OR Terrence Portelli |
P[d] | P[e]
Ivan Grech Mintoff |
Arnold Cassola
James Ryder (3 of 13 candidates) |
[34] | |
21 May | 11:55 am | Newsbook/RTK | P
Steve Ellul |
P
LouisAnne Pulis |
N | N | P
Ivan Grech Mintoff |
N | Edwin Vassallo | [35] |
22 May | 9:00 pm | TVM | N |
|
[36] |
Opinion polling
It is not uncommon for smaller parties to be grouped together or excluded in polls by Maltese media houses.
Polling firm | Sample size |
PL S&D |
EPP |
ABBA | IND/ Others |
Lead | Not voting[g] |
Don't know/ Invalid[g] | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
3–10 May 2024 | MaltaToday | 657 | 49.4 | 41.7 | 8.9 | 7.7 | 30.6 | – | ||||
6–10 May 2024 | It-Torċa[h] | 1000 | 51.5 | 40.3 | 5.1 | 4.1 | 11.2 | 31 | ||||
15–24 April 2024 | MaltaToday | 656 | 50.7 | 44.2 | 5.1 | 6.5 | 29 | |||||
1–13 April 2024 | Esprimi | 600 | 45.4 | 38.0 | 3.2 | 13.4 | 7.4 | – | 41.0 | |||
7 March - 21 March 2024 | MaltaToday | 657 | 52.8 | 42.6 | 4.6 | 10.2 | 23.4 | – | ||||
27 Feb –12 Mar 2024 | Esprimi/Times of Malta | 600 | 52.4 | 39.3 | 8.3 | 13.1 | 33 | |||||
26 Jan –05 Feb 2024 | MaltaToday | 647 | 47.9 | 41.0 | 11.1 | 6.9 | 37.5 | |||||
26 Mar 2022 | 2022 Maltese general election | – | 55.1 | 41.7 | n/a | 1.6 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 13.4 | 24.4 | 2.9 |
25 May 2019 | 2019 European Parliament election in Malta | – | 54.3 | 37.9 | 3.17 | 2.7[a] | 0.5[b] | n/a | 1.2 | 16.4 | 27.3 | 2.6 |
Notes
- ^ a b Combined result of Democratic Alternative and Democratic Party vote shares before party merger
- ^ a b As Alliance for Change
- ^ Stage name mistakenly reported as proper name by media. The proper name according to the official Electoral Commissioner press release — meaning which will appear on the ballot — is James Michael Muscat.[22]
- ^ Attended but left midway.
- ^ Attended but left after first question.
- ^ Was not part of the debate but was granted 2 minutes floor time.
- ^ a b Excluded from calculation for the party percentages.
- ^ Sister newspaper of 'L-Orizzont', a GWU-owned newspaper, closely aligned to the Labour Party.
References
- ^ a b "Malta - How to vote". European elections 2024: all you need to know. Retrieved 2024-02-12.
- ^ "L_2023238DE.01011401.xml". eur-lex.europa.eu. Retrieved 2024-02-12.
- ^ "2019 European election results". election-results.eu. Retrieved 2019-05-26.
- ^ "Labour MEP Josianne Cutajar will not seek re-election". Times of Malta. 15 January 2024. Retrieved 2024-04-27.
- ^ "'Malta Deserves Change': Labour MEP Cyrus Engerer Opts Out Of Re-election". Lovin Malta. 27 April 2024. Retrieved 2024-04-27.
- ^ "[WATCH] Alfred Sant will not contest next European Parliament election". MaltaToday.com.mt. Retrieved 2024-04-15.
- ^ Diacono, Tim (2024-04-14). "These Are All Of Malta's MEP Candidates So Far". Lovin Malta. Retrieved 2024-04-14.
- ^ a b "Who are Malta's 39 MEP candidates?". Times of Malta. 2024-04-29. Retrieved 2024-05-01.
- ^ a b "Record number of independents are running for MEP". Times of Malta. 2024-05-01. Retrieved 2024-05-01.
- ^ Mamo, Matthew (16 February 2024). "Il-PN japprova kandidat ieħor għall-elezzjoni tal-Parlament Ewropew" [PN approves another candidate for the European Parliament elections]. Newsbook Malta (in Maltese). Retrieved 9 April 2024.
Bartolo b'hekk jingħaqad mal-MEPs Roberta Metsola u David Casa, kif ukoll ma' David Agius, Peter Agius, Miriana Calleja Testaferrata de Noto, Norma Camilleri u LouiseAnne Pulis, li kienu approvati bħala kandidati matul l-aħħar xhur.
[Bartolo thus joins MEPs Roberta Metsola and David Casa, as well as David Agius, Peter Agius, Miriana Calleja Testaferrata de Noto, Norma Camilleri and LouiseAnne Pulis, who were approved as candidates during the last months.] - ^ Micallef, Shaun (2023-02-22). "ADPD Announces Candidates For 2024 MEP Elections". Lovin Malta. Retrieved 2024-04-02.
- ^ Camilleri, Maria Daniela (4 April 2024). "L-ADPD iħabbar r-raba' kandidat għall-elezzjonijiet tal-Parlament Ewropew" [ADPD announces its fourth candidate for the European Parliament elections]. Newsbook Malta (in Maltese). Retrieved 9 April 2024.
- ^ Diacono, Tim (2023-12-07). "Norman Lowell Emerges As Most Popular MEP Candidate In Lovin Malta Online Poll". Lovin Malta. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
- ^ Diacono, Tim (2024-03-26). "Malta Out, Ukraine In? Candidates Send Maltese Flag To European Parliament Office In Protest". Lovin Malta. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
- ^ "Volt Malta's first MEP election candidate, Matthias Iannis Portelli". Volt Malta. Retrieved 2024-04-02.
- ^ "Volt Malta announces first MEP election candidate". MaltaToday.com.mt. Retrieved 2024-04-02.
- ^ "Nominations submitted today Saturday 27th April, 2024, between 9.00 a.m. and 1.00 p.m." electoral.gov.mt. Electoral Commission of Malta. 27 April 2024.
- ^ Muscat, Gavin (9 April 2024). "Edwin Vassallo se jikkontesta l-elezzjoni tal-PE" [Edwin Vassallo shall be contesting the EP election]. Newsbook Malta (in Maltese). Retrieved 11 April 2024.
- ^ "Former parliamentary secretary Edwin Vassallo to stand for MEP elections". Times of Malta. 2024-04-09. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
- ^ "Edwin Vassallo to contest European elections, but not with the Nationalist Party". MaltaToday.com.mt. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
- ^ "Former PN parliamentary secretary to contest MEP election - The Malta Independent". www.independent.com.mt. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
- ^ https://electoral.gov.mt/pr1-25-04-2024-en
- ^ Urpani, David Grech (2024-04-05). "Watch: 'Buckle Up And Settle Down' - James Ryder Officially Launches MEP Campaign". Lovin Malta. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
- ^ Diacono, Tim (2024-04-06). "Watch: 'I Think I Can Get Elected' - James Ryder's First Interview As 'Clown' MEP Candidate". Lovin Malta. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
- ^ Diacono, Tim (2024-04-25). "John Dalli Signs Simon Mercieca's Nomination To Contest MEP Election". Lovin Malta. Retrieved 2024-04-27.
- ^ a b c "Historian-blogger Simon Mercieca to contest for MEP with former Abba candidates". MaltaToday.com.mt. Retrieved 2024-04-27.
- ^ "MEP 2024 - NOMINATIONS RECEIVED 26/04/2024 ALL DAY". electoral.gov.mt. Electoral Commission. 26 April 2024.
- ^ "Reclaiming the power for the member states". Abba Party. 2024-04-01. Retrieved 2024-04-14.
- ^ Ismailai, Roza (2023-12-18). "PartyParty Attends: VOLT Europa Congress". PartyParty. Retrieved 2024-04-15.
- ^ "Volt Malta announces first MEP election candidate". MaltaToday.com.mt. Retrieved 2024-04-15.
- ^ a b "How Malta Votes: An Overview - Malta Elections". University of Malta. Archived from the original on 8 March 2022. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ^ "Empowering Europe - MEPs in Dialogue". The Malta Chamber. Retrieved 2024-05-04.
- ^ "Strengthening Europe - MEPs in Dialogue". The Malta Chamber. Retrieved 2024-05-04.
- ^ "MEP candidates debate environment, defence to sparsely attended university event". Times of Malta. 2024-05-02. Retrieved 2024-05-04.
- ^ L-Għażla għall-Ewropa: Il-bniedem baqagħlu valur? | L-Għażla għall-Ewropa: Il-bniedem baqagħlu valur? Dibattitu bejn kandidati għall-elezzjonijiet tal-Parlament Ewropew | By Newsbook MaltaFacebook. Retrieved 2024-05-22 – via www.facebook.com.
- ^ Popolin - TVMi.mt. 2024-05-22. Retrieved 2024-05-23 – via tvmi.mt.