ACT No. XI of 1996 An Act to amend t~ COII.Jtitution of Malta BE IT ENACTED by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the House of Representatives, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:-

I assent.

(L$.)

U go MIFsUD BONNICI

President

2nd April,I996

ACT No. XI of 1996

An Act to amend t~ COII.Jtitution of Malta

BE IT ENACTED by the President, by and with the advice and

consent of the House of Representatives, in this present Parliament

assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:-

(I ) This Act may be cited as the Constitution of Malta Short_and

(Amendment) Act, 1996 , and shaJl be read and construed as one with """"""",,, .. ont

the Constitution of Malta , hereinafter referred to as "the Constitution".

(2) This Act shall come into force immediately after the

dissolution of Parliament next follow ing its enactment.

For the proviso to subsection ( I) of section 52 of the ~of

~~ the

Constitution there shall be substiruted the follow ing

"Provided thai where -

(i) at any general election, a political party obtains in

the aggregate more than fifty percentum of all the valid votes

cast at that e lection, as credited to its candidates by the

Electoral Commission at the first count of all the votes, but

the number of its candidates elected at such election is less

than the total of all the other candidates so elected; or

(ii) at a general election which is contested by more

than two political parties and in which only candidates of

two of such patties are elected, a political party obtains a

percentage of all the vaJid votes cast at such election, as

credited to its candidates by the Electoral Commission at

the first count of all the votes, which is greater than that

obtained by anyone other party, but the number of its

candidates elected at such election is less than the number

of the other candidales so elected,

the number of members of the HouseofRepresenlatives shall be

increased by as many members as may be necessary in order that

the party obtaining more than fifty per centum, or the larger

percentage, of aJl the valid voles, as the case may be, shall have

one member m<>re than the total of the other candidates elected at

that election; and, in any such case, such persons shall be declared

by the Electoral Commission to be elected to fill the additional

sealS created by this proviso who, being candidates of the party

last mentioned at such elections, were credited by the E,lectoral

Commission at the last count, with the highest or next higher

number of votes without being elected, irrespective of the division

in which such highest or higher number of votes occurs,",

Passed by the House of Representatives at Sitting No. 526

o flhe 27th March,I996.

LAWRENCE GoNZl.

Speaker

RicHARD J, CAuon

Cltrk to the House of Representatives,