Two of Malta's smaller political parties are holding discussions over a potential electoral coalition, but no agreement has yet been reached, according to their leaders.

This comes after news reports saying that Momentum and ADPD are expected to join forces ahead of the next general election.

Speaking to The Malta Independent, Arnold Cassola, leader of Momentum, confirmed that talks are still taking place. "When we have news, we will announce it. We are still discussing," he said.

Similarly, Sandra Gauci, leader of ADPD, stressed that discussions remain at a preliminary stage. "Nothing has been confirmed yet, we are just talking about it," she said when contacted yesterday.

Gauci noted that ADPD has prior experience collaborating with other political groups, referencing its past alliance with Partit Demokratiku. "We joined forces with PD in the past, so this is something that we are used to. I think if we joined resources with Momentum, it wouldn't be a negative thing," she added.

Addressing speculation about the motivations behind the potential coalition, Gauci rejected suggestions that it stems from a lack of candidates. She affirmed that ADPD has sufficient candidates to contest all 13 electoral districts independently, indicating that this is not a driving factor in the discussions.

While both parties appear open to cooperation, any formal coalition agreement has yet to be confirmed.

ADPD was established in 2020 through the merger of Malta's two most significant third parties at the time: the green Alternattiva Demokratika (AD) and the social-liberal Democratic Party (PD). AD itself had been formed in 1989 after Wenzu Mintoff and Toni Abela had been expelled from the Labour Party, subsequently founding the party alongside a group of environmental activists.

Momentum, on the other hand, was created by independent politician Cassola last year following his relatively strong performance in the 2024 European Parliament elections. Cassola had previously served as chairperson of ADPD but resigned due to disagreements over the party's position on abortion.

Malta's two-party dominance makes it structurally difficult for smaller parties to gain seats. Moreover, voter fragmentation among smaller parties historically prevents them from reaching quotas. A coalition could therefore allow the two parties to pool votes to reach such district quotas and avoid vote-splitting among alternative voters. Additionally, it could also increase media visibility and allow the parties to position themselves as a "third force" protest option.

So far, since Independence in 1964 there has not been any third party candidiate elected to Parliament on their own ticket. However, in 2017, the Nationalist Party partnered with the Democratic Party to create Alleanza Nazzjonali (National Alliance), campaigning on a wide-ranging anti-corruption agenda. Although the coalition was unable to stop a decisive Labour Party victory that year, PD leaders Godfrey Farrugia and Marlene Farrugia were both elected to parliament under the alliance.

That being said, unlike Alleanza Nazzjonali, the potential coalition between Momentum and ADPD is between two small parties that typically poll below five percent nationally. Moreover, both parties align on a number of issues. Momentum's three central pillars - good governance, a thriving environment, and economic justice - closely mirror the principles outlined by ADPD, making a coalition between them ideologically consistent.