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The Constitution Of Malta (Amendment) Act, 2006 (Bill No. 68)

A BILL

entitled

AN ACT to amend the Constitution

BE IT ENACTED by the President, by an with the advice and consent of the House of Representatives, in the present Parliament assembled and by the authority of the same, as follows>-
1. The short title of this Act is the Constitution of Malta (Amendment) Act, 2006 and the Act shall be read and construed as one with the Constitution of Malta, hereinafter referred to as “the Constitution”.
2. In the proviso to sub-article (4) of article 61 of the Constitution, for the words “other relevant factors.” there shall be substituted the words “other relevant factors>” and immediately thereafter there shall be inserted the following new proviso>
“Provided further that the Island of Gozo and the islands of the Maltese Archipelago other than the Island of Malta shall together be treated as one electoral division and may not be divided between two or more electoral divisions.”.
3. Immediately after article 61 of the Constitution there shall be inserted the following new article>

Short title.

Amendment of article 61 of the Constitution.

Addition of new article 61A to the Constitution.

C 446

“Gozo and the islands of the Maltese

Archipelago other than the Island of Malta

not to be divided.

Cap. 354.

61A. (1) The following provisions of this article shall apply if, when reviewing the boundaries of the electoral divisions in accordance with the provisions of article 61 of this Constitution, the Electoral Commission would, but for the provisions of the second proviso of sub-article (4) of the same article, have had to divide the Island of Gozo and the islands of the Maltese Archipelago other than the Island of Malta, or any part thereof, between two or more electoral divisions.
(2) The Electoral Commission shall>
(a) establish the Island of Gozo together with the islands of the Maltese Archipelago other than the Island of Malta as one electoral division< and
(b) apply the provisions of sub-articles (4) and (5) of article 61 of this Constitution only with reference to the voters and divisions on the Island of Malta without including in its calculations the division consisting of Gozo and the other islands of the Maltese Archipelago or the voters therein.
(3) For the purposes of paragraph (b) of sub- article (2) of this article, when calculating the number of voters in each electoral division on the Island of Malta the total number of electoral divisions shall be the number of electoral divisions established by article 17 of the General Elections Act minus one.”.

Objects and Reasons

The object of this Bill is to provide that the Island of Gozo and the islands of the Maltese Archipelago other than Malta shall not be divided between two or more electoral districts.