The 2008 General Election was a close-run thing: led by Dr Gonzi, the Nationalist Party secured a 1,580-vote majority and has the people’s mandate to rule for the next five years.

Democracy rests on the popular will, and the election result must now be respected.

By the same democratic

criteria, the election photo finish raises a number of questions from an analysis of the emerging situation.

The most striking outcome of the election result is that none of the contending

parties obtained 50 per cent of the votes. The new government has won the constitutional authority to govern, even though it represents less than half of the

electorate. In other words, its majority is “relative”.

The Nationalist Party is the first political party in Malta to win three elections on the trot. On the other hand, this time around, the PN has sustained a significant loss of voter support since the previous election – approximately 10,000 votes.

Prime Minister Gonzi secured the highest number of first count votes (10,901 in the Ninth Electoral District). This compares with Dr Alfred Sant’s 9,404 first-count votes in the First District. Both leaders also contested a second district. If one adds the respective total votes from the two constituencies, Dr Sant had the upper hand with a grand total of 16,511 votes, against Dr Gonzi’s 15,798.

Although some of these considerations would suggest that the PN is, relatively, in a weaker position, Dr Gonzi has emerged, Phoenix-like, as the winner, and Dr Sant honourably acknowledged defeat and gave up his Party leadership.

High tension

There was high tension during the concluding stages of the election campaign, and just as much, if different,

tension during the 10 hours of vote-counting at the Naxxar counting hall, until PN secretary-general Joe Saliba claimed victory.

PN supporters let off steam. The euphoria gave way to reality on both sides of the political divide. There is much work to be done, and some of it is in the highest echelons, not least at the Parliamentary level. With a one-seat majority, the Government is going to find it difficult to meet its many EU overseas commitments unless it has practical pairing arrangements with the Opposition.

On the government side, Dr Gonzi willingly made a deal with the electorate to inject new blood into his Cabinet. He has to find ways and means of reclaiming the lost sheep that have strayed away from the PN flock.

Dr Gonzi was frank during the election campaign and owned up to past government mistakes or shortcomings. These were variously attributed to arrogance, incompetence and bureaucratic arbitrariness – not least associated with Mepa. Dr Gonzi will have to take the bull by the horns and do so in the transparency of the public forum.

On the Opposition side, the soul-searching is mandatory. A Party general conference will meet statutorily after the general election, and Dr Sant’s resignation will open possibilities for new blood and new thinking at the top.

New realities

Party insiders, on each side of the political divide, owe it to the mainstream of

supporters across the island to conduct an inquest in broad daylight and to face the new realities in the eye,

considering that this is far from a Little Bo Peep, nursery rhyme situation.

Outside observers will, of course, debate the same issues and their input will have a bearing on public opinion in the course of time.

There will be many who will agree that the ruling party had the advantage of calling an election when it suited its interests. It sought comfort in what it claimed to be a feel-good situation, and the economy was achieving modest and sustained growth. Nevertheless, it had to

struggle to win by a cat’s whisker.

With hindsight, it is easy to identify some of its problems. Some ministers shot themselves and their party in the foot. Allegations and/or accusations relating to sleaze and worse coming from the Opposition were not always met with the forcefulness expected by public opinion.

Irrespective of whether or not there was substance in these charges, perceptions took shape and solidified.

All the above – and more – now has to be sorted out and there is no time to lose. In the interests of national harmony and, indeed, of survival in a globalised, competitive world, it is of paramount importance that political polarisation is defused, and bridges are built, to give Maltese democracy a sporting chance of delivering material goods to the electorate.

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