It will be the first time in Maltese political history that the two main political parties will be facing the next election with a new leader.

Robert Abela took over the reins of the Labour Party, and of the government, in January last year, with Bernard Grech following suit for the Nationalist Party in October.

Both will therefore be heading towards the election as newcomers. The only difference is that Abela has contested the last election, and made it to Parliament from the sixth district while, for Grech, this will be the first time for him on the ballot sheet. He is in Parliament after a co-option exercise.

While they will be the frontmen of the PL and PN, with the general public watching their every move and analysing their every word, they will both be backed up by their own party machinery.

The next election needs to be held within the next 18 months, but we all know that preparations are already being made.

The PL, of course, has the advantage of being in power, and although the prerogative ultimately lies with the PM, we are sure that there will be internal hints which will not be ignored.

The PN, on the other hand, must prepare for every eventuality, be it an election which is called earlier than scheduled, or one that falls closer to the last available day as laid down in the Constitution – five years and three months maximum from the date of the first parliamentary sitting of the legislature, which would take us to September 2022.

It is highly unlikely that Abela will be waiting until the last day. But, as much as he can, he will keep the country guessing, although he cannot take the risk of creating instability. With the country still battling with the Covid-19 pandemic that is hitting the economy hard, the last thing that is needed is more uncertainty.

As we all know, Malta is a highly polarised country and even the hint of an election leads to a slowdown. The longer this takes, the longer the adverse effects. The official campaign normally takes around five weeks, but the buzz surrounding the election will start long before that. The shorter the time the country is ensnared in the election run-up, the better it would be, given the prevailing circumstances.

We are in no doubt that both the PL and PN are already working hard towards the election. Apart from the people in official positions, both parties have a huge group of volunteers who eagerly give up much of their free time to carry out the many odd jobs that come with an election. Just checking the Electoral Register and making sure that “their” voters receive the voting document – and then encouraging them to vote – is only a small part of the work that is carried out.

Added to this, both parties are also working on their election manifesto, which they will put forward to the public in the weeks preceding the election. Most of the public out there will not read it, and so decisions will be made on how the politicians present themselves.

In particular, the public will be watching Abela and Grech. The onus is on them.