Alfred Sant joġġezzjona għal aġenda ċentrista għall-elezzjonijiet futuri tal-PE

Ir-riżoluzzjoni diskussa fil-plenarja tal-Parlament Ewropew għandha l-għan li teżamina l-parteċipazzjoni taċ-ċittadini fl-elezzjonijiet Ewropej tas-sena l-oħra kif ukoll tivvaluta l-qafas istituzzjonali u politiku li fih saru l-elezzjonijiet.

Ir-rapport jippreżenta lista twila ta’ proposti, li f’ħafna aspetti jippruvaw ibiddlu u jgħaqqdu r-regoli differenti dwar il-votazzjoni għall-elezzjonijiet Ewropej fl-istati membri differenti.

Alfred Sant irrikonoxxa li l-vot fil-plenarja neħħa numru ta’ proposti kontestabbli mressqa mill-Kumitat għall-Affarijiet Kostituzzjonali tal-PE bħal sejħiet għal listi transnazzjonali u bidla fir-regola dwar Kummissarju wieħed jew waħda għal kull stat membru.

Madankollu, ir-riżoluzzjoni xorta kien fiha proposti li dwarhom Sant esprima nuqqas ta’ qbil. B’mod partikolari, għandha l-għan li timponi regoli uniformi dwar it-twaqqif ta’ partiti politiċi, regoli ta’ kif jintagħżlu l-kandidati, u drittijiet tal-vot.

“Kwalunkwe tentattiv biex ikunu maqbużin tradizzjonijiet kostituzzjonali żviluppati matul għexieren ta’ snin u sekli jista’ jkun perikoluż billi jiftaħ firxa sħiħa ta’ manuvri għall-lemin estrem biex jattakka u jimmina l-libertajiet demokratiċi nazzjonali”, qal Alfred Sant lill-Parlament Ewropew.

Ir-rapport ġie adottat b’468 favur, 194 kontra, u 34 astensjoni.

---

Alfred Sant objects to euro-centrist agenda for future EP elections

Alfred Sant has voted against a European Parliament resolution on the stocktaking of European elections because it deviates towards the imposition of a Euro-centrist agenda for future EP elections and ignores the democratic political traditions of EU Member States.

The resolution discussed in the plenary of the European Parliament aims to analyse citizens’ participation in last year’s European elections as well as assessing the institutional and political framework in which the elections took place.

It presents a long list of proposals, which in many aspects attempt to alter and unify the different voting rules for European elections in the different member states.

Alfred Sant acknowledged that the plenary vote removed a number of contestable proposals by the EP’s Committee for Constitutional Affairs such as calls for transnational lists and a change to the one Commissioner per member state rule.

However, the resolution still contained proposals on which he expressed disagreement. In particular, it aims at imposing uniform rules on the establishment of political parties, admission rules for candidates, and voting rights.

“Any attempt to ride roughshod over constitutional traditions developed in the course of decades and centuries could be dangerous as it opens up a whole range of manoeuvre for the extreme right to attack and undermine national democratic freedoms”, Alfred Sant told the European Parliament.

The report was adopted with 468 in favour, 194 against, and 34 abstentions.