The country is rapidly entering election mode, the tone has been set and it seems like the political slugging match is going to be anything but pretty.

This country has always ground to a halt when election fever takes its vice-like grip over everything from trading, investment and even friendship. In the past few years, we had seen hopeful signals that this form of campaigning was a thing of the past. But now that the election is fast approaching, it seems like it is once again going to rear its ugly head.

Things have been brewing for some months now with tit-for-tat slanging matches taking place – much irking the general public. Yet it seems that the two main political parties either just do not get the message, or do not want to get the message.

The election is still months away, with many observers saying it will be right after the budget for 2008 is announced – some time in November – and others believing that it will be held in the spring of next year. But the two sides are already engaged in a battleground.

The word “battleground” is purposely chosen in this context as it is very clear that it is not going to be a good-natured campaign. The intensity has been turned up, especially on issues such as tourism, roads and the Mater Dei hospital.

The government was the quieter of the two parties, preferring to give rational, calm and reasoned explanations to shortcomings, which it has admitted.

However, the government lost its patience with the MLP’s criticism of the National Statistics Office. Off came the gloves and both parties are now standing toe-to-toe.

The MLP, on the other hand, has said that there will be no holds barred if attacks turn personal in its regard. The party, in particular deputy leader Charles Mangion, maintained that he did not launch any personal attack on the former NSO director general, but merely wanted his questions answered.

The confirmation that the tone was set came at the MLP general conference when the same deputy leader said that if he was attacked personally, he and the MLP would retaliate.

Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi bounced back and yesterday said that the MLP had sent its report on the NSO to various embassies with the intention of damaging Malta’s euro adoption process. And on it goes.

Those voters who thought that the political climate in this country had settled enough for a reasoned and rational debate on the way we want to go in the future are sadly let down.

All this confirms that the two major parties are ready to pounce on anything that could enable them to gain electoral mileage.

This surely has to be Alfred Sant’s last chance to win on a national level; his days must surely be numbered if not. On the other hand Dr Gonzi has himself not won any elections so far – be they local or national.

One can understand what is at stake here. Of course, if one party starts, the other will hit back – it’s an endless vicious circle that only the politicians themselves have the power to break.

Sadly, they don’t seem to want to.