The date for the election has now been set and, between now and 8 March, it will be a frantic campaign by all the contesting political parties to attract as many votes as possible.

Needless to say, opinion writers and commentators will be saying “I told you it would be on 8 March”, forgetting that they had dished out countless other days in their bid to add to the speculation leading up to the election. They had to get it right some time, no?

The two major parties have different options to those of the smaller parties. The Nationalist Party and the Malta Labour Party aim to win the mandate to govern the country for the next five years. Alternattiva Demokratika and Azzjoni Nazzjonali would like to break the two-party deadlock that has gripped Malta for the last 42 years, and electing just one representative would be a major victory for either, or for both.

There are no particular issues at stake this time round, as had happened five years ago. The run up to the 2003 election was characterised by the question of European Union membership, and in fact it was preceded by a referendum which the “yes” campaign won, although Labour Party leader Alfred Sant had then insisted that the “no” vote had been victorious. This had pushed then Prime Minister Eddie Fenech Adami to call an election immediately after the referendum results were known, an election that confirmed the people wanted to join the EU as they gave a majority to the party advocating membership, the PN.

This last victory enabled the PN to govern the country for 19 of the last 21 years, divided by 22 months of a Labour government.

The MLP is in fact building its campaign on this particular matter. It is saying that the PN in government has been there for too long, and that the country needs a change. It is saying that the PN is past its sell-by date and that Malta needs fresh ideas to face a better future. It has prepared a set of policies and drawn up a list of priorities that it says are the superior option the electorate should choose.

The fact that the MLP has, since the last election, been the more popular party when it came to voting for Malta’s representatives in the European Parliament and for local councillors is encouraging for the party, although by all means there is no certainty that this will translate itself into a victory at national level.

For its part, the PN is insisting that the people should choose to proceed with the party that led them to the European Union, the benefits of which have started to seep in. It is saying that although it has been in government for so long, it is still the party with the better ideas. It is saying that Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi has only been leading the country for four years, has proved his worth and deserves to be given another mandate.

The PN will say that after a difficult time that came about as a result of difficult and unpopular decisions that had to be taken, Malta is now reaping the fruit of policies that have generated jobs and created well-being.

Both AD and AN will be asking for votes to try to make their way into Parliament where, they say, they could make a difference. They will say that a third and/or fourth voice in the House would mean a stronger democracy, and that a coalition government is the best option.

From now onwards, we will be inundated with mass meetings, dialogue events, rallies and walkabouts. We will be listening to politicians repeating the successes of their party and the failures of their adversaries. We will be hearing them making promises and saying that they will be implemented in the shortest time possible.

In the end, it is up to each and every one of us to sift through the frills and see who is the most genuine, and who deserves to lead the country for the next five years.