The major political parties are gearing up to enter unchartered territory by bolstering their presence on social media, as the internet is set to become an even more a decisive factor, especially for first-time voters, in the next election campaign.

Prime Minister and PN leader Lawrence Gonzi officially unveiled the website www.mychoice.pn yesterday afternoon, describing it as the latest endeavour in the party’s commitment to keep itself close to the electorate.

Replying to questions in an event at Kennedy Grove in Qawra that was largely targeted at first-time voters, Dr Gonzi said the party must embrace an open source philosophy, and this is why he was inviting the public to put forward ideas and proposals. He added that some of the recent government decisions are a direct result of feedback from the public, including the €300 grant to people aged 80 and over as announced in the budget.

While expressing his eagerness to hear the public’s views, Dr Gonzi warned that this is not an exercise in clientelism.

Asked to identify a particular issue which might be the determining factor in the next general election, the Prime Minister replied that since the EU issue is settled, the next step for the country is to decide which party is best for the people to fulfil their ambitions.

Referring to the current economic climate in the country, the Prime Minister said that he is fully committed to keep the creation of jobs as the top priority. He added that this requires difficult decisions which he is ready to take. Dr Gonzi said that thanks to this kind of approach Malta managed to weather the storm of the past three years.

Earlier this week, the Labour Party launched the website www.gonzi.pn in reply to a press conference during which the Prime Minister lauded the major successes the government had achieved so far in this tenure. As the name implies, this website highlights those that, according to the PL, are the failures of ‘GonziPN’ government.