The Alternattiva Demokratika (AD) have filed a complaint against One TV and Net TV to the Broadcasting Authority (BA) stating that they have breached the BA Directive of February 2012 and have not allocated enough airtime to AD.

AD is demanding that the Directive be followed and they be given fair air-time, they announced in a press conference outside the Electoral Office in Valletta.

AD candidates Arnold Cassola and Carmel Cacopardo also spoke on party financing, where they said that the bill was tabled before Parliament by PN MP Franco Debono. “The other parties are spending millions on their campaigns and we would like to ask, where is this money coming from and what have these parties promised the people financing them?” Arnold Cassola explained.

Another issue raised was with regards to the electoral process. Professor Cassola stated that amendments to the General Elections Act have resulted in “people in hospital being able to vote from there, however there are certain clauses which we do not agree with”. He explained that the Directors of these hospitals must send daily information to the Electoral Commissioner of who is in hospital and why. AD alleged that political parties currently have access to this information. “This has not only added unnecessary bureaucracy, but is also a breach of data protection. We have sent our complaints to the Data Protection Commissioner to investigate to what extent Articles 81-84 have been breached”.

Lastly, Professor Cassola explained that Maltese living abroad should have the right to vote in Embassies or Consuls. He concluded by arguing that the Prime Minister still had the power to convene Parliament and should address this issue immediately.