The amalgamation of Partit Demokratiku and Alternattiva Demokratika into one single organisation by and large has gone unnoticed.

The process started months ago but it was only in October that it was completed, with the formation of what will now be called ADPD. Carmel Cacopardo, the most senior of the group, and the most well-known of the lot, has taken over as chairperson.

Since Independence, third parties have had a very tough ride in Maltese politics. In the 12 general elections held, they have never made it to Parliament on their own steam.

In 2017, Marlene Farrugia and Godfrey Farrugia were elected as members of the PD, which had formed a coalition with the Nationalist Party, one that broke down soon after the election. The Farrugia couple have since resigned their PD allegiance and will serve out the term as independent candidates.

Way back in the 1980s, Wenzu Mintoff had been elected as a Labour Party candidate but later broke ranks, and continued on as an MP representing the then newly-formed Alternattiva Demokratika.

Over the past decades, the Labour Party and Nationalist Party have shared power, allowing little space to others. In spite of their deficiencies, shortcomings and scandals, the PL and PN have dominated the national political scene, leaving titbits to the rest. The closest third parties came to achieving success was when Arnold Cassola, then an AD top official, nearly made it to the European Parliament in 2004. He had been the last candidate to be eliminated at a time when Malta had five, not six, MEPs.

Otherwise, the popularity of small parties among the electorate has never made it beyond two per cent of the national vote, and this had also happened at a time when Alternattiva Demokratika, in its first attempts, had candidates who were far more popular and known than the ones it has had for the last 20 years.

To be fair, that AD has survived for more than three decades in the Maltese political scenario is already an achievement in itself. In its history, it has worked incessantly on environmental issues, but its impact on other matters has been minimal.

Partit Demokratiku is a more recent addition to the local political spectrum. But its first years have seen it move from one leader to another, with none of them surviving in the role for more than a few months. The departure of the two Farrugias has further weakened it.

Third parties have been the voice of reason in many instances. Free of any links that could lead to biased views, they have often expressed what the common man in the street was saying. Their presence in national politics is needed as oftentimes it represents the view of many who are not blinded by partisan interests.

Still, lack of resources and finances, as well as the fact that they do not have their own media as the bigger parties do, limit the effect on the electorate. It will be next to impossible for them to break the duopoly, because the bigger parties are still of a different category.

But the idea that AD and PD merge into one organisation will enable them to ease their struggle for survival. Time will tell if they will succeed.