Dr Lawrence Gonzi versus Dr Alfred Sant.
This, in a nutshell, is what local politics have evolved into, and the election that looms on the horizon – so far, it seems that it will be held in the first half of 2008, according to what Dr Gonzi himself has repeatedly said over the past weeks – will all boil down to the credibility of the two leaders.
Whether this should be the case is debatable, as after all there is much more to local politics than Dr Gonzi and Dr Sant. But the way things are evolving, it is very likely that the decision to be taken by the voters on polling day will come down to whether they trust Dr Gonzi enough to keep the Nationalist Party in government for a third consecutive term (which would be the fifth in the last six), or whether they intend to give Dr Sant a second chance.
It will not be the first time that this has happened, as the most recent elections have always been a matter of who of the two political leaders managed to convince the people that the path he was taking was the right one.
Political parties are now basing all their efforts on the leader and, in so doing, try their hardest to put his adversary in bad light.
Electoral campaigns are built on the leader’s personality, his charisma, his views and his ability to assure them that under his leadership, the country would be in better hands.
In 1996, 1998 and 2003, the two leaders were Dr Eddie Fenech Adami for the PN and Dr Sant for the MLP. Dr Sant won the first of the lot but was defeated in the other two.
And, even then, in spite of the issues that were affecting the country at that moment in time – VAT in 1996, the internal strife within the MLP in 1998 and European Union membership in 2003 – the battle was fought on the “leadership” field, very much on the same lines that occurs in the United States for the presidency.
One will remember the electoral campaigns that were held in those years. Everything focused on the personality of the leader and the belittling of the adversary.
It will happen again in 2008. It is already happening now, when the election is so far away. It practically never stops, as the day after an election the race for the next one starts.
What will be different in 2008 is that one of the leaders to lead his party into an election is a new face.
Dr Gonzi took over the leadership of the Nationalist Party in 2004, replacing Dr Fenech Adami. At the other end of the political spectrum, Dr Sant will be taking the MLP into his fourth election as party leader.
It is not difficult to expect the PN to base its campaign on the fact that Dr Gonzi is more of a fresh face than Dr Sant is, and that although the PN has been in power for nearly 20 years except for Dr Sant’s 22-month stint as prime minister, the PN is still “young” and “enthusiastic”. The PN will no doubt play back those 22 months of Labour government to show the difference and, as a matter of fact, its media is already doing its best to remind the people of the difficulties encountered by the MLP between 1996 and 1998.
On the other hand, the MLP will try to convince the people that Dr Sant should be given a second chance because, in his first try, he was unable to perform because of factors extraneous to his leadership capabilities. It will insist that the PN, in spite of Dr Gonzi’s taking over, is past its expiry date as a government and that the country needs a breath of fresh air. Again, MLP exponents and its media are already saying it.
Dr Gonzi versus Dr Sant.
The battle is on.