Half the country will be casting their vote in the upcoming local council elections this weekend. The campaign has, of course, doubled up with the hunting referendum, which has, to an extent, overshadowed the political campaign.

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat has played his trump card. He knows that the PL still enjoys a massive wave of support and the party should win the elections by a wide margin. The PN is still reeling and while efforts have been made to rejuvenate the party, it is still seen as somewhat of a rebel without a cause.

The PM said that he will be happy if the PL wins the elections by just one vote and has also said that the opposition traditionally wins local council elections. He pointed to the Labour Party’s experiences in losing the general elections, but always doing well in opposition. The statements by the Prime Minister are political electioneering. Polls have shown, quite clearly, that while the government has lost some support, it is still way ahead of the PN in terms of trust ratings. It is clear from the get go that the PL will register another victory, just as it did with the European Parliament elections.

The Nationalist Party, meanwhile, has campaigned with the slogan – we make a difference. This is true, but it is clear that the party is still disjointed and still trying to establish its identity. While the PN is expected to fare better than it did in the last polls, no one is expecting miracles.

The Labour Party has made it a habit of unearthing some scandal or another every time the PN seems to gain some ground or credibility. It does the same every time it is perceived to have blundered, in an effort to deflect people’s attention.

There is no doubt that something will be dug up by the PL against the PL sometime later this week – most probably on the last day of campaigning before the day of reflection comes into force. This has been a tactic that has long been used by both parties, but the PL under the stewardship of Dr Muscat has refined it and turned it into a very effective tool.

At the end of the day, local council elections are supposed to be all about improving the life of citizens through local administration by councils which supposedly have their best interests at heart. We do not dispute that many people do get into the arena to do precisely that, but it always turns into a political slugfest. The same feeling that comes as part and parcel of general elections is also present in the air. While we are supposed to be electing local councillors to improve the life of citizens, what we are really taking part in is yet another dressed rehearsal of the general election which is three years down the line. Some things in Malta never change, elections are one of them.