Alex Borg’s breakthrough year: after a rapid rise in 2025, tougher tests await

Alex Borg’s remarkable ascent to opposition leader marked one of the political stories of 2025, but political insiders hold contrasting views over his prospects for the upcoming year.

Insiders from Malta’s two major parties and political observers say Borg’s rapid rise to the forefront of Maltese politics has taken many by surprise, but the young leader is set to face tougher tests over the coming months.

“He exceeded my expectations,” one PN MP said. “He managed to bring hope to the party in a short span of time.”

Several PN insiders agreed that Borg has been a breath of fresh air, giving the party a renewed enthusiasm that has been lacking for years.

“This is the first Christmas during which people are still seeking us out,” one MP said, recalling previous festive seasons characterised by apathy among party members.

Others say Borg has been routinely underestimated during his rise through the party ranks, with the trend seemingly set to continue now that he is party leader.

Strong team

However, Borg knows his own limits, party insiders said, pointing to his propensity to frequently delegate matters to others within his team.

“He knows when to hand things over to other people when necessary,” one insider said, describing this as one of his strongest qualities.

Another argued that since his election, Borg has successfully built a strong leadership team (“the strongest team I can remember”), often leaning on them for guidance in the early days of his leadership.

Labour insiders, however, are less impressed.

Borg has undoubtedly improved the PN’s standing compared to the inertia of the Bernard Grech years, but his impact has been nowhere near strong enough to turn the tables, they say.

“The wow factor Joseph Muscat brought to Labour upon his election in 2008 simply hasn’t happened,” one Labour MP said.

“If it hasn’t happened so far, things are unlikely to change. In local politics you either make an immediate impact or you’re in trouble,” they added.

And, they say, Borg has committed his fair share of faux pas in his short time as opposition leader, frequently speaking out of turn and misquoting data.

Nevertheless, much of the criticism Borg has faced so far has yet to stick, observers say.

“He has managed to extend his honeymoon period into the Christmas season,” one political aficionado said. “But time will tell whether this will carry through into the new year.”

Hurdles to come

Regardless of how they judge his performance so far, all agree that Borg is yet to face the hurdles that will ultimately define his leadership.

Entering what could be an election year, Borg will have to prove his skill at managing a gruelling national election campaign without running out of steam, PN insiders say.

Having just won a leadership campaign within his own party, albeit by the slimmest of margins, could work to his advantage, they argue.

“He already has a campaign team in place and will have learnt valuable lessons on how to run a campaign,” one party delegate said.

But, without knowing when an election will be called, Borg will have to prove himself adept at pacing himself and managing expectations as the weeks roll by, a feat easier said than done.

And Borg is likely to also face tests from within.

“This is the first time I am seeing such unity in the party, but this might annoy some people within the party, particularly if they were associated with previous leadership teams,” one PN MP said.

Other PN insiders echoed these thoughts, describing how he will handle the bruised egos of some of the party’s MPs as Borg’s greatest litmus test.

And, observers say, we have yet to see how the frequently thorny relationship between Borg and NGOs such as Repubblika will pan out, particularly as Borg treads the line between dwelling on past political controversies and articulating the party’s future aspirations.