Inġiniera were officially notified of the start of the election process per the Board’s letter of the 2nd of August 2024. On the 18th of August 2024, the Chamber received a letter which highlighted objections to the 2024 Inġiniera Board election regulations.

The letter objected to the composition of the commission and contested the Chamber’s legacy role in assisting the handling of objections related to the validity of a candidate’s warrant. The Board had the prerogative to consult with the Chamber in such matters, a practice that has ensured fairness and transparency given that the Chamber of Engineers is the professional association recognised at law by the Inġiniera Act (Cap.321).

The Chamber of Engineers reminds Inġiniera that the election regulations put forward for this year’s election were not any different than the regulations which governed the Board Elections of 2022 and 2020. The Chamber does not recall any official objections to the regulations used for these past two elections and during the past 4 years of bilateral meetings between the Board and the Chamber, no objections or concerns were highlighted.

The changes to the election regulations and the changes to the commission were communicated by the Board on the 19th of August 2024 without prior consultation or notification to the Chamber. These unexpected changes effectively came through just two weeks prior to the election date.  

The Chamber of Engineers expresses its disappointment with the way the issue-flagging and decision making were handled on the election regulations, on the eve of this election. Notwithstanding, the Chamber will not to escalate the issue in the interest of the importance such elections represent for the profession. The Chamber understands that such issues could evolve into a pretext for delays in the electoral process, which is a necessity to have a functioning regulator.

Whilst these concerns could have been anticipated, the Chamber appreciates the efforts of the Board and the Ministry (MTIP) to find a solution which allowed the election to proceed with the same level of transparency and integrity. The Chamber is satisfied to note the active interest in this election, with six Inġiniera who presented themselves as election candidates.

The Chamber of Engineers remains dedicated to support the engineering community and to uphold the standards of our profession. Following this election, the Chamber intends to resume discussions with the Inġiniera Board to review and modernise the election process.