Elections in Malta

The Electoral Commission is Malta's autonomous election authority, while the Electoral Office carries out operational work. The main legal framework consists of the Constitution of Malta, the General Elections Act, the Local Government Act, the European Parliament Elections Act and the Referenda Act. The President issues the writ for a general election under the constitutional rules. A general election selects members of the House of Representatives. Malta has 13 electoral divisions with five seats each as the basic model, giving 65 seats; the Constitution can provide additional seats in specific circumstances. European Parliament elections use one nationwide constituency. The 2024 election filled six seats. Local Councils elections cover 68 localities. European Parliament and Local Councils elections are regularly held on the same date, with 2029 currently listed as the next scheduled election year. A referendum does not use STV: the voter marks one choice for yes or no. Malta's President is not elected directly by the public but appointed by a resolution of the House of Representatives supported by at least two-thirds of all its members. For a general election, a voter normally needs Maltese citizenship, to be at least 16 years old and to have lived in Malta for at least six continuous months or for an accumulated six months during the preceding 18 months. Specific exceptions apply to some people serving abroad. Disqualification can result from circumstances such as court interdiction, legal incapacity, a death sentence, imprisonment exceeding 12 months or an election offence. Local Council elections are open to Maltese citizens and registered European Union citizens resident in Malta; UK nationals may qualify under the applicable special rule. European Parliament elections cover Maltese citizens and registered EU citizens resident in Malta who opt to vote in Malta and do not vote for the same election in their home state. The Electoral Register is updated twice a year for April and October, with registration deadlines of 31 March and 30 September. General elections use 13 division registers, Local Councils use 68 locality registers, and the European Union Electoral Register is combined with the General Register for European Parliament elections. Voters can check their status online with an eID and arrange registration or address changes through Identità. After an election writ, the Commission prepares a revised rolling register within five days, including people who reach the minimum voting age by the previous day. A person can appeal a register entry or omission to the Revising Officer within 21 days of publication without paying a fee; a legal question can go to the Court of Appeal within seven days. The Electoral Commission sends a voting document to the registered address. The voter also needs an identity card or eResidence Card. If the document is not received, the voter can collect a replacement personally at a police station or Local Council, and later at the Electoral Commission in Naxxar or the Gozo Electoral Office. Another person cannot collect it on the voter's behalf. Polling usually runs from 07:00 to 22:00. Voting is not compulsory. Assistant Electoral Commissioners can provide assistance, and special voting arrangements exist for defined groups, including some people abroad or in hospital. A Braille template is available. Under STV, the voter writes preference 1 for the preferred candidate and can continue with 2, 3, 4 and later preferences. The quota is calculated as the floor of valid ballot papers divided by the number of vacancies plus one, then increased by one. A candidate who reaches the quota is elected. Surplus votes transfer proportionally to the next available preferences, and the candidate with the lowest total is excluded when further seats remain; that candidate's votes transfer according to the next available preferences. Counting continues until all seats are filled. A ballot is invalid if it has no first preference, more than one first preference, a first preference and another number beside the same candidate, or an X instead of a number. General-election candidates must be Maltese citizens, registered general electors and at least 18. They submit a written or electronic nomination supported by at least four registered voters from the same division and pay a €90 deposit. The deposit is refunded only to an elected candidate or to a candidate who obtains more than one-tenth of the votes cast divided by five. For the 2026 campaign, the spending cap was €20,000 for each contested division, and candidates had to submit a sworn return within ten days after the result declaration. European Parliament candidates must be registered in the European Union Electoral Register; candidates from another EU country also submit a declaration concerning duplicate candidature and exclusion from election in their home state. Local candidates must be eligible EU citizens or UK nationals in the Local Councils Electoral Register. The Commission seals ballot boxes, reconciles ballot accounts, announces the number of votes cast and sorts valid and invalid ballots. It may count manually or use the Electronic Counting System. Electronic interpretation and unique identifiers are regulated by law, and party delegates receive limited verification access while ballot secrecy remains protected. Candidates or agents can request a recount after any count. The Commission normally declares the result by the next working day after counting and publishes it in the Government Gazette without delay. It keeps ballots and related data until the result of the next election is published. An election petition can lead to a recount or another result order, and the Constitutional Court deals with election disputes and annulment. Foreign interference and corrupt or illegal practices can lead the Commission to suspend an election. In the 2026 general election, 356,832 people were registered, 312,129 voted, 306,036 ballots were valid and 6,093 were invalid. The 2024 European Parliament election recorded 370,184 registered voters and 270,142 votes cast. The 2024 Local Councils elections recorded 457,343 registered voters and 272,607 votes cast. These figures describe particular elections and do not establish a permanent turnout rate. After a general election, the President appoints as Prime Minister the member considered most likely to command majority support in the House; ministers are appointed from the House, so voters do not directly elect a Prime Minister.