Maltese Expat’s Crusade for Voting Rights

Imagine standing in the bustling streets of Nairobi, the sun beating down, and feeling a pang of homesickness not for the familiar sights and sounds of your childhood, but for the simple right to vote in your home country’s elections. This is the reality for Maltese national, Joseph Camilleri, who has been living and working in Kenya’s capital for the past decade.

Joseph, a 38-year-old marketing professional, is one of the estimated 200,000 Maltese citizens living abroad who are currently denied the right to vote in Maltese elections. This situation has sparked a passionate campaign led by Joseph and a growing number of expat Maltese, challenging the government’s stance on overseas voting rights.

Malta’s constitution, drafted in 1964, does not explicitly grant voting rights to Maltese citizens living abroad. This has been a contentious issue, with both the ruling Labour Party and the Opposition Nationalist Party historically opposing overseas voting, citing fears of vote-buying and the potential for expats to influence local politics disproportionately.

However, with an estimated 20% of Maltese citizens living abroad, many argue that it’s time for a rethink. “I pay my taxes in Malta, I own property there, and my family still lives there,” says Joseph. “Yet, I have no say in how the country is run. It feels like a democratic deficit.”

Joseph’s campaign, “Vote from Abroad,” has gained traction among Maltese expats worldwide. They’ve organized protests, launched petitions, and even held a mock election in 2019 to highlight their plight. Their efforts have caught the attention of local politicians, with some now publicly supporting overseas voting rights.

Joseph’s campaign has also received backing from the Malta Union of Journalists, who recently passed a resolution supporting the right of Maltese expats to vote. The union’s president, David Lindsay, argues, “It’s only fair that Maltese citizens living abroad have a say in how their country is governed.”

the campaign has found an ally in Daphne Caruana Galizia‘s family, who have publicly supported the cause. The late journalist’s husband, Peter, believes that, “Daphne would have been in favor of Maltese expats having the right to vote. It’s about democracy and fairness.”

The “Vote from Abroad” campaign is far from over. Joseph and his supporters are planning more protests, both in Malta and abroad, and are pushing for a constitutional amendment to grant overseas voting rights. They’re also exploring legal avenues, with some expats considering a court challenge to the current voting laws.

As Joseph puts it, “We’re not going away. We’ll keep fighting until we have our right to vote restored. It’s not just about us, it’s about the future of Malta and what kind of democracy we want it to be.”