An independent team of nine candidates will contest against SDM in the upcoming elections from the University of Malta's Student Council (KSU), in what is the closest to a full-blown election on campus since 2018.

KSU has been traditionally a stronghold of Studenti Demokristjani Maltin (SDM), a political student organisation with informal ties to the Nationalist Party, but a new grouping of students is aiming to change that in this year's upcoming elections.

Mill-istudent għall-istudent on Monday officially presented its nomination for the upcoming KSU elections, putting forward an independent team of 9 candidates which it said is "committed to student-first representation, youth rights, and a clear rejection of the two-party student organisation system that has long shaped student politics."

The team is led by Nick Muscat contesting for President, together with Gianluca Xuereb, Maya Debono, Francesca Anastasi, Ruth Sciberras, Matthias Zahra, Moesha Debattista, Jesmiel Raines, and Angelie Feroleto.  They will be contesting for 9 out of 13 posts in KSU.

The last time all of KSU's posts were contested in an election was in 2017, which was the last time that Pulse, a political student organisation with informal ties to the Labour Party, contested to be represented on the council.

The new grouping includes candidates who are currently serving in KSU.  Muscat is currently the KSU Commissioner - a post which is elected by student organisations and representatives - while Debono and Xuereb are both part of the current KSU, having been elected on an SDM ticket last scholastic year.

In a statement, the group said that it is grounded in one simple principle: "KSU exists for students."

"At the University of Malta, student representation should reflect the very values that higher education is meant to foster, namely critical thinking, free expression, participation, accountability, and courage. Mill-istudent għall-istudent believes that KSU should not serve as an extension of partisan structures, but as a truly independent student union that listens, represents, and delivers for students," the group said.

"The team is made up of a group of students who have come together independently, driven by a shared dissatisfaction with how the current electoral system has operated within the university and a collective desire to challenge it. Formed through genuine friendships and common experiences, rather than rigid structures, the group reflects a mix of backgrounds, ideas, and strengths. Each candidate is contesting a role that aligns with both their previous experience and their personal passion, bringing forward fresh perspectives and practical ideas they believe can meaningfully improve student life and representation across the university community," the group said.

Speaking on behalf of the team, Nick Muscat said: "We wanted to build a team that reflects the realities, talents, and potential of students today. This is not a team chosen only on paper or only by academic merit, but one made up of individuals who have shown commitment through their work, their ideas, and their involvement in student life beyond the lecture room. We believe KSU needs competence, energy, and integrity."

Mill-istudent għall-istudent said that it is presenting itself as a serious alternative for students who want representation based on service rather than status, principles rather than tribalism, and students rather than structures.

"This election is about more than filling roles within KSU. It is about shaping the kind of student culture we want at the University of Malta, one that is independent, democratic, and truly mill-istudent għall-istudent," the group concluded.