Malta’s political parties are now approaching the last lap in the race leading to the next general election. Whether or not Malta will be under new management once that staged is reached, the same problems will be clamoring for solution. The true significance of this coming general election lies in the murky depths of the politics of yesteryear.

Thinking electors who make up the decisive floating vote in these islands – and who will swing the result in favour of either of the main contending parties – are not likely to be swayed by the grandiose inadequacy of frantic last-minute proposals. Nor are they likely to be swept off their feet by the politics of the sound byte.

In most cases, they will survey the political landscape from the perspective of a number of years, and they will assess the performance of the main players and their respective parties.

They will also take the measure of their own condition and see how this squares up with their expectations.

Images and perceptions

In this context, images and perceptions count. Once parties and politicians are labelled with an image, it is almost impossible for them to shed it.

Seasoned politicians and their party tacticians are quite aware of this, and will make sure that, in the course of the impending campaign, they will avoid becoming a mass brand in the political market. They will rather seek to go for niche markets.

There will be fewer disputations about Europe, social conscience and what have you. And there will be more avid interest in the votes of the hunting lobby, of those who pine for divorce legislation and the electors who may be feeling the pinch of a tight economy.

Electoral sovereignty

On the other hand, thinking electors now begin to sense the importance of their vote. It is, after all, at this pre-electoral stage that floating voters can fathom the full measure of their sovereignty. Once a new Parliament will be elected, the intentions of voters will become secondary to the question as how parliamentary power will be exercised.

Sovereignty will be irrevocably transmitted to the politicians who will ride the waves at the next general election.

In a sense, the two main political parties will contest the election from a position of relative weakness.

The ruling Nationalist Party has been in office for practically the last 20 years and has been showing signs of creeping senility. It did not bring in new blood to invigorate its top brass. It has been debilitated by internecine dissidence, which spilled into the open. Most tellingly, it lost all five electoral consultations held since the last general election.

The fact that the Opposition Labour Party has been out of office for the best part of a quarter century means that its front runners lack ministerial experience, and have yet to make an imprint on the mind of the electorate.

This makes no difference to the fundamental consideration that the vicissitudes of politics have tarnished the image of PN ministers whose record is associated with failure.

Assets and liabilities

This does not mean that the PN is down and out. It has yet to dispose of its pre-election budget card. It can try to squeeze some more credit from the other overused SmartCity card.

Alfred Sant and his team will concentrate of the lack-lustre performance of the Gonzi administration which, it will claim, was associated with arrogance and financial mismanagement,

In the next weeks and months, much ammunition will be spent on this battleground and the audience will get bigger. Extravagant promises will be made, and accusations hurled, as the art of public speaking will be killed by the sound byte, and analytical thinking will be undercut by the passion of tired old politicians and ambitious young Turks alike.

The floating voter will have to make up his mind unaided – unless he succumbs to the weight and the pressure of persuaders approaching him from every angle.

There are two comforting thoughts that look like silver linings. The election campaign, now slowly gathering momentum, has, so far, been conducted in a remarkable atmosphere of tranquility, with no incident of any consequence reported.

In the prevailing pluralist climate, the floating vote seems to be asserting itself and to be increasing in size.

If this is a correct reading of the situation, enough common sense could be brought into play by election day to serve as a counterweight to the creeping polarisation clearly in evidence during the last year or so

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