Speculation has, once again, been ramping up as to when Malta will go to the polls to elect the next government.
The stakes are high: the Labour Party is fighting to remain in power for an unprecedented fourth consecutive term, while the Nationalist Party - having gone through several near-existential crises since 2013 - is fighting to return to government or, at the very least, make an impact on the political balance in the country.
Smaller parties such as ADPD and Momentum meanwhile are desperately fighting to lift the country out of the political duopoly that has effectively existed since 1966. There is talk that they will join forces in the hopes of securing a seat or two in Parliament for the first time.
If the polls are to be believed, this election - unlike those before it - is not a foregone conclusion. The PL continues to lead, but the most recent MaltaToday poll showed a vote gap of just 7,500 votes - a far cry from the near-enough 40,000 votes that the PL won by in 2022.
Memories of the 2024 European Parliament election, where all the polls over-estimated the PL's support and under-estimated the PN's support, may also cause some anxiety and uncertainty within the camps at the PL's Mile End headquarters.
It is likely based on this notion that speculation has been ramping up that a general election may be around the corner - despite the fact that the government's full term only expires in March 2027, 12 months from now.
Talk of an election being announced for June 2026 is rife. Prime Minister Robert Abela has been coy about it - but in the past he has veered between saying that the PL will complete its full term in power and saying that there are circumstances which may result in him calling an early election.
His party's electoral machine, however, has been getting into gear - and, at the end of the day, there is no smoke without fire.
All of this speculation does come with some consequence though. Businesses may begin to hold back a little from making major investments, in anticipation of the election as they wait to see what will happen. This is a time also rife with more and more attempts for clientelism. One hopes that our candidates across the board will not fall for this.
There is little that can be done to avoid this speculation. There was a proposal in the past which had called for the general election to be held on a fixed day, thereby removing the prerogative from the Prime Minister to decide the date - but that's an idea which will never come anywhere near being implemented.
Whether the election comes this year or next year, the country is bracing for the storm of political activity that it will bring - whether it likes it, or not.