There were no surprises at the Naxxar counting hall yesterday, except for a high level of absenteeism which, in itself, is a vote against the political parties.
As amply predicted, the Labour Party secured a comfortable victory over the Nationalist Party, and will govern the country for the next five years.
It is the third consecutive victory for the PL, the first under the leadership of Robert Abela.
Matters have not changed much since the 2013 and 2017 elections, as the margin between the two parties remained wide. Official results were unknown at the time of going to print, but sampling taken by the parties show that the PL once again emerged easy winners.
It is clear that the majority of voters believe that the Labour administration is still the better option. In spite of scandals, breaches of ethics by Labour MPs, ministerial resignations, nepotism, shortcomings of good governance, and a leader who quit in the wake of a police investigation into the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia, not to mention the grey-listing of Malta by the FATF and reprimands by European leaders on the passport scheme, the majority of voters chose Labour.
It is possibly because Labour has steered the country to economic solidity, in spite of a Covid-19 pandemic that brought havoc and is still raging. The way the PL managed to contain the damage, as well as to control the medical impact of the virus on the health services, has been appreciated. The boost given to the private industry, especially sectors that were hardly hit by the spread of the virus, served to limit loss of jobs. The distribution of financial assistance in the last two weeks of the campaign was also a contributing factor.
What happened in the Nationalist Party in the last five years – internal dissent which led to a change of leadership midway through the legislature – was an asset for the PL. The PN is still perceived as being a fragmented party, and the defections on the first day of the election campaign further proved that the wounds are still open. It is the third massive defeat in a row for the PN, and once again it faces a tough time of reckoning.
One factor that must be given importance is the fact that we had the lowest voter turnout since Malta obtained Independence in 1964. A staggering seven per cent drop, more or less across all districts, should be a wake-up call. One out of every seven voters, or about two whole electoral districts, chose not to exercise their right to vote. This is a very strong message that the politicians should read carefully. That 52,000 or so voters decided not to turn up, with more than 14,000 of them not bothering to collect their voting document, is a big vote of no confidence in our politicians and our system.
The PL now embarks on another five-year voyage. It will seek to implement its 1,000-proposal strong electoral programme, not an easy task. That’s one proposal every two days, give or take.
It must also continue to battle the Covid situation which, it must be said, was ignored in the last few weeks, particularly during election campaign activities, with the result that the number of daily and active cases is steadily on the rise again.
It must also contend with the effects of the war in Ukraine. The cost of living has been on the rise for several months, before the conflict in the east of Europe. The war will no doubt lead to higher inflation, perhaps even scarcities.
Robert Abela will be sworn in as Prime Minister today. His first task will be to form his Cabinet of Ministers. Some ministers will be retained, others will be given different portfolios. There will be some newcomers too. His line-up will be an indication of whether Abela has learnt some lessons from the mistakes he committed in his first term as PM.
Then it would be time to start working.
Malta needs a focused government, and also a revitalised opposition, one that really offers an alternative. It is a combination of these two that will make the country stronger.