Election playbook: Is this what the rest of the election campaign is going to look like?
With the first week of the election campaign behind us, it seems that the past few days' events could shape the remainder of the campaign
6 May 2024, 6:00am
Nicole Meilak
Nicole Meilak
2 min read
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A week is a long time in politics, and last week felt like five years – here’s a short run-down of week one of the election campaign
Candidates’ line-up confirmed: There are officially 39 candidates that will feature on the ballot sheet on 8 June, and it’s looking to be the longest-ever voting list. Labour have nine candidates, and the Nationalist Party has eight. But some eyes are on the third parties and independent candidates amid growing political apathy. For some concise information on each candidate, go here.
The PL's MEP election candidates
A long time coming: The conclusion of the Vitals inquiry was a matter of time, but now it’s become a matter of timing. Abela and his Labour election candidates have adopted a position of scepticism around the timing, down to the last hour, of the inquiry’s conclusion. The Nationalist Party simply tells them to let the institutions work. Joseph Muscat told the Police Commissioner he is ready for questioning to prove his innocence, and Chris Fearne told the Labour parliamentary group he is ready to resign if he is mentioned in the inquiry.
The Establishment™: Abela keeps insisting that ‘members of the Establishment’ are working against him and the Labour government. He gave a poetic description of the elusive Establishment: “[It] works in silence… It acts behind the scenes… has many tentacles in many institutions”. The phrasing that sounds familiar, no? Here me out: “The Establishment… she don’t care what do the rabbit…. She don’t care what do the turtle…The Establishment she stay relax, and when need she act.”
Mind the gap: The latest MaltaToday survey, carried out before the Vitals inquiry revelations, indicates the gap stands at 17,100 votes in the PL’s favour. Labour enjoys an absolute majority of votes but the lead has narrowed since March. However, this doesn’t mean the PN has gained much – its vote share increased by only 1.6 points. The third parties and independents collectively gained 0.5 percentage points over two months.
This article is part of a content series called Ewropej. This is a multi-newsroom initiative part-funded by the European Parliament to bring the work of the EP closer to the citizens of Malta and keep them informed about matters that affect their daily lives. This article reflects only the author’s view. The action was co-financed by the European Union in the frame of the European Parliament's grant programme in the field of communication. The European Parliament was not involved in its preparation and is, in no case, responsible for or bound by the information or opinions expressed in the context of this action. In accordance with applicable law, the authors, interviewed people, publishers or programme broadcasters are solely responsible. The European Parliament can also not be held liable for direct or indirect damage that may result from the implementation of the action.
Nicole Meilak is deputy online editor and IĠM press awards (Most Promising Journalist) wi...
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