Over 5,400 people start a petition for Sandra Gauci to get a seat in parliament

Following the 2026 general election in Malta, a petition signed by approximately 5,400 people has called for ADPD (The Greens) Party Chairperson Sandra Gauci to be appointed to Parliament as a member of parliament. Launched by a group of citizens concerned about the election, this campaign argues that Gauci should actually be considered elected given the level of support she received at the ballot box. The organizers of the petition state that although this request is not a legal obligation, the support of thousands of citizens for this call sends an important message as a democratic principle.

In the election dated May 2026, Gauci, who was a candidate in District 12, increased her votes to 950 during the counting process after receiving 513 first-preference votes. However, while additional seats were allocated to Labour Party and Nationalist Party candidates under Malta's gender correction mechanism, Gauci could not make it into the list of those elected. This situation has reignited debates regarding parliamentary representation being limited to the two dominant parties due to small parties not being able to benefit from the mechanism.

In a written statement by ADPD, it was criticized that the current election system clearly discriminates against large parties and prevents small parties from entering parliament. The petition used harsh expressions, stating, "This is not equality, this is political discrimination," emphasizing that the votes of citizens who voted for options other than the Labour Party and Nationalist Party should not be seen as less valuable. The group called on authorities to respect democracy and give Gauci her seat, emphasizing the principle that "Every vote should have the same weight."

At the heart of the current discussions are Malta's election threshold and MP distribution system. ADPD claims that the current system harbors not only gender imbalance but also representation injustice. The party's long-held view is that temporary fixes to the election system will be insufficient, and instead, a comprehensive reform is needed that ensures both proportional representation and gender balance. According to Gauci, only a fundamental electoral reform can guarantee that every vote is treated equally regardless of which party it is cast for.

This recent development has created wide repercussions in Maltese politics between political_party_organizations and voters. The petition called for urgent action for the Parliament and Electoral Commission to abide by democratic conventions and for Sandra Gauci to receive the seat she deserves. Citizens are demanding that the system be operated fairly so that their act of voting does not become meaningless due to election results contradicting existing laws. The situation has once again revealed the fact that justice mechanisms must reflect the will of every citizen equally, regardless of political preferences.