From Mr T. Farrugia

The general election is very close, electoral campaigns are heating up and this time round, the country may be facing the possibility of having three or more parties elected to Parliament.

This situation is somewhat strange for all us Maltese who follow politics closely because of the way in which the main two parties have monopolised the political scene over the past decades.

The issue is that unfortunately our Constitution does not seem to make provision for this situation, and let’s face it, why should the two main parties ever contemplate this situation. But is that such an impossibility?

Most probably, this election will determine the real value and ambitions of Alternattiva Demokratika. They have part of the political scene for quite some time now, and the moment should be ripe enough for them to reap the fruits of their endeavours.

On the other hand, Alleanza Nazzjonali is a new party led by two very well known, successful businessmen. The number of their followers is unknown but surely a lot of people would like to know how many there are.

Maybe during this election, more than at other times, the country is facing the risk of having a third party being represented in Parliament. Under no circumstances do I want to imply that having a third party represented in parliament is not necessary per se, but the problem is that unfortunately our Constitution does not really cater for this situation.

According to the Constitution, should a third party elect a member to parliament, the determining factor as to who wins the election and governs the country for the next legislature is no longer the total of first preference votes polled, but the number of seats in Parliament. This unfortunately can suddenly take us all back to the unfortunate and uncomfortable situation Malta had to face after the 1981 election.

Despite the undisputable benefits that a multi-party Parliament can bring to our country, also in terms of culture and political maturity, this can ironically turn out to be a political time bomb with the present Constitution.

I strongly believe that we all ought to keep this issue well in focus when deciding on whom to give our vote.

Tonio Farrugia

FGURA