After a hectic first week of heavy campaigning with endless meetings, press conferences and discussion sessions, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi toned it down a little by meeting youngsters at a wine bar in Balzan last night.

The Prime Minister only announced the General Election on Monday, and since then we have already seen electoral manifests published and discussed. The Prime Minister has been busy in his official government post this week, as well as in his capacity of leader of the Nationalist Party. After having paid a visit to a poultry farm earlier in the day, Dr Gonzi's camp decided it was time to get down to the grassroots and meet the younger generation in their own environment, perhaps also taking the intensity of the campaign down a notch for the night. It was not nightclubs in Paceville, it was the Melita wine bar in Balzan.

Dr Gonzi was received warmly and spoke to the impressive turnout of youngsters one by one or in groups. Although it was a low key affair and a very informal engagement, one should not underestimate the importance of it. TMID carried a story on Thursday in which it was revealed that there were 17,000+ new votes to be won due to an increase in registered voters since the last election. One would surmise that they are there for the taking, providing the leaders of the parties can connect with them.