Day 9: PN pledges big Marsa project as Labour promises to help businesses

Alex Borg also announced three propoals related to the succession tax

On the ninth day of the electoral campaign, Robert Abela announced a new round of proposals aimed at helping businesses, while the PN promised it would invest €350 million to create a creative district in Marsa and the Grand Harbour area.

Later, PN's Alex Borg also announced three proposals related to succession tax.

But things heated up late in the day when Abela claimed, at an unrelated media event, that the financial backer of the PN's proposal for a fuel station off Hurd's bank was “Malta’s biggest fuel smuggler".

The prime minister claimed that the same “wise guy” had approached him with an identical project.

But the PN categorically denied the allegations, with Borg daring Abela to go to the police with any information he had about the matter.

As it happened

Live blog ends

9.45pm And that's a wrap for today.

If you're still awake, you can take a look at our more detailed reports about the evening's activities by the two main political parties here and here.

We'll be back with live updates tomorrow.

PN's three promises for the night

8.30pm Promises come in threes on the third day of the week.

Borg also has three promises, this time about inheritance tax.

Inheritance transfers will not be taxed.
Succession tax on family businesses will be removed.
Tax on the donation of immovable properties will also be eliminated.

PL's three proposals for the night

8.20pm Abela makes three promises.

A mentorship program with the participation of local entrepreneurs for young people to gain the necessary knowledge to build their businesses.
Provide young people behind start-ups with free legal assistance services and exempt them from paying Malta Business Registry fees during the first five years.
Launch a National Business Wallet, where businesses can store a digital version of their documents, licenses, and permits. This platform will complement the Central Data Repository.

'Malta Maritime Forum endorsed our proposal'

8pm Borg immediately addresses Abela's claims about the person behind the PN's Hurd's Bank fuel station proposal.

The Nationalist party has already dismissed the allegations as untrue.

The PN leader tells his supporters in Birkirkara that the Malta Maritime Forum itself has endorsed the proposal.

Borg welcomed with roaring applause

7.42pm Academic and activist Amy Camilleri Zahra is addressing the audience in Birkirkara when Borg finally makes an appearance to roaring applause.

Photo: Jonathan Borg

Should I submit my nomination?

7.40pm It's been a tough couple of days for Omar Rababah, who last week announced his decision to stand as a Labour candidate, after making his name as a vocal activist for human rights and social justice.

He says the past five days felt like 10 years, as he faced backlash that saw a former president, a former commissioner and his wife hitting back at the hate and misinformation spewed about him on social media.

Introducing the audience to family members, siblings and in-laws that turned up with him at Santa Luċija, he admits the backlash has made him think twice about contesting the election, and he has not yet submitted his nomination.

But the audience cheers him on, and he says the response encourages to submit his name on the PL ticket.

"I will defend everything that is Maltese. I stand for everything that is Maltese... I am Malta, we are Malta. We will continue moving the country forward," he tells those present.

Where is Alex Borg?

7.35pm An hour in and we are still waiting for Borg to turn up in Birkirkara.

An app to prevent obesity

7.30pm Abela has been joined onstage by Steven Ellul, a young entrepreneur who co-developed an app that makes it easier to track the nutritional values of food products depending on their goals.

Abela says that, should PL be re-elected, the app would be integrated into the government's national strategy to prevent obesity from an early age.

'The biggest fuel smuggler'

7.25pm Abela repeats claims that the person who drafted PN's idea of a petrol station for vessels in the Mediterranean is "the biggest fuel smuggler in the country".

He says that is why the PN has not published its presentation about the proposal.

But the PN has already categorically denied the prime minister's allegations.

Footage: Matthew Mirabelli

Cheers at mention of Eddie Fenech Adami

7.16pm And PN is finally also live.

Mayor Desirei Grech addresses the crowd, which bursts into cheer when she pays tribute to former prime minister and president emeritus Eddie Fenech Adami.

Chris Fearne, Andy Ellul and Alex Agius Saliba in Santa Luċija

7.15pm Meanwhile, our photographer Matthew Mirabelli has spotted Chris Fearne, Andy Ellul and MEP Alex Agius Saliba in Santa Luċija.

Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

PN crowd warming up to Take a Chance

7.10pm PN have not yet started streaming their event on Facebook, however, our journalist Emma Borg reports that PN's rally in Birkirkara is quite a well-attended event.

Not surprising considering some of the party heavyweights like Beppe Fenech Adami and former leader Adrian Delia running in this district.

The party atmosphere is alive and well with the crowd bopping along to ABBA music.

The crowd became particularly lively when the DJ played the classic PN anthem, Take the Chance, with many getting out of their seats for a little dance.

Footage: Emma Borg

Abela in Santa Luċija

6.40pm Abela has arrived at Santa Luċija, where he is greeted by party enthusiasts.

Go to the police, PN dares Abela

6.30pm The PN has categorically denied Abela's allegations about the link of its Hurd's Bank plan to a fuel smuggler.

If you have any information, go to the police, the party dared the prime minister.

PLPN tonight

5.40pm Both PN and PL have scheduled an event for 6.30pm with the party leader.

Borg is set to address a "rally" on Triq M Pulis, Birkirkara, while Abela will address party enthusiasts at Ġnien is-Serenità, Santa Luċija.

Abela's explosive claims about PN's hub idea

5.40pm Abela has meanwhile made some explosive claims about the source of Borg's Med petrol station idea.

He said the financial backer of the PN's proposal is “Malta’s biggest fuel smuggler". The PM told journalists at a press conference about a €150 million factory in Ħal Far that the same “wise guy” had approached him with an identical project.

But he said he had dismissed it.

We've asked PN for a reaction to Abela's claims, and they told us they'll be replying with a press release.

PLPN's love for pollution

5.25pm It's ADPD's turn to slam the big parties' energy plans.

The small party claimed PL and PN want pollution on a massive scale, dirty seas and out-of-date industries with their offshore Chevron exploration and Hurd's Bank petrol station idea.

Momentum worried about PN's fuel hub

4.30pm Momentum has added its voice to those criticising PN's proposal of a fixed fuel hub off Hurd's Bank, warning it could compromise Malta's water security.

On Tuesday, PN leader Alex Borg said such a hub would generate €450 million in revenue within three years.

But Momentum is more concerned about the impact it could have on the environment, residents, tourism and potable water provision.

€150 million factory in Ħal Far

4.10pm Three hours before he addresses party enthusiasts in Santa Lucija, Abela announced that an offshoot of US healthcare giant Baxter International is to develop a €150 million factory in Ħal Far.

The facility will be operated by Vantive, a MedTech company spun off from Baxter's kidney care division in 2025 as a standalone vital organ therapy company after it was acquired by funds managed by global investment firm Carlyle.

Labour merch

3.40pm Żgħażagħ Laburisti officially launched its campaign drive on Tuesday evening, with Robert Abela being their guest of honour.

Now Labour's youth wing has unveiled its first big initiative.... campaign merchandise. You can order a t-shirt by filling in a Google Form.

Photo: Facebook/Żgħażagħ Laburisti

Marsa before and after?

2.55pm The PN has released an image of how it envisions its €350 million creative district in Marsa. The project would include an expo centre, new theatres and a large conference centre as Emma Borg reports.

It's an ambitious proposal. To show you how ambitious it is, we have pulled up a Google Earth image of the area as it looks today, so you can compare it with how it could look under the PN's plans.

Before: Marsa is currently a mixture of docks, industrial complexes and disused sites.

After: A digital render of the PN's creative district in Marsa.

What's happened so far?

2.29pm If you're just joining us, here's what you might have missed on the campaign trail today. The PN gave more details on the energy pledges and promised that the LNG tanker supplying the power station will be removed from the Marsaxlokk harbour within five years of the PN government taking office.

In a second conference, the PN proposed setting up a national culture hall and expo centre in Malta, turning the Grand Harbour area into something of a cultural district.

Labour has since approved a new batch of candidates, although we're yet to hear anything about Omar Rababah's candidacy. He announced over the weekend that he will contest the election on the Labour Party ticket, but Times of Malta is informed that his nomination still needs to be vetted by the party's candidates commission.

Months in the making

2.10pm It's a contender for the most drawn-out announcement in recent years.

In January, Silvio Schembri said he had sealed the "biggest ever" FDI deal in Malta's history. Sources at the time told us the deal concerned a US MedTech firm. Then things went silent.

On Tuesday, Robert Abela again hinted at the "best ever" foreign investment being announced.

Now it looks like we might finally learn more: Abela is unveiling "a new FDI investment in the MedTech industry" at 3pm in Ħal Far.

A culture district in Marsa

12.58pm The PN also wants to turn Marsa into Malta’s national culture district, promising a €350 million investment into the town to develop a national expo centre and national hall.

The expo centre will be designed to host major conferences and trade fairs; the national hall will be the home of the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra and be designed for opera, ballet and other large-scale artistic performances.

Space and AI measures from the PN

12.52pm Emma Borg has the first details from the PN's press conference.

In its first five years, a PN government will invest €12 million into AI data and new space. Alex Borg said this investment will generate €100 million in the Maltese economy within 5 years and after 10 it will generate €200 million.

Labour approves new candidates

12.40pm The Labour Party has just approved a new set of candidates. These are:

Miguel Balzan - 9th and 10th districts
Rosette Cassar - 8th and 10th districts
Jorge Grech - 2nd district
Eric Plumpton - 3rd and 4th district
Kaydem Schembri - 5th district
Nigel Vella - 1st district
Shana Woods - 2nd and 4th district

PN's press conference underway

12.37pm The PN is holding its second press conference of the day. Watch it below.

Momentum makes parliamentary pledges

11.45am Momentum has just published three proposals targeted at strengthening parliament.

Full-time MPs with adequate salaries and stricter conflict-of-interest rules
Parliamentary committees to investigate scandals, modelled on the European Parliament
Make the Standards Commissioner's and Ombudsman's decisions executive, not advisory

ADPD wants voting rights at embassies

11.37am Speaking of election flights, ADPD has published a statement saying Maltese citizens should be able to cast their votes in national elections at Maltese embassies.

Apart from the difficult logistics, ADPD says it's irresponsible to subsidise these flights in a period of global economic uncertainty.

More election flights

11.18am KM Malta Airlines has just announced more flights and increased capacity for Maltese voters abroad.

The airline says over 1,000 return passengers booked flights to Malta in the first two days of bookings, and around 90% of the bookings originate from Brussels and London.

Now, KM Malta Airlines has secured more airport slots and will operate the following additional services.

London Gatwick: May 20, May 21, May 22, May 24, May 31
Brussels: May 21, May 22, May 25

If you want to book your election flight, you need to call the airline's general election call centre on 2141 8118, operating daily between 8am and 8pm.

Abela campaigns in Birkirkara

11.11am Robert Abela wasn't around at the Labour Party's conference earlier. Turns out he's out campaigning at the Birkirkara monti alongside Yana Borg Debono Grech. She's the minority leader on the Birkirkara council and will be contesting the election on the 1st and 8th districts.

Yana Borg Debono Grech and Robert Abela campaigning in Birkirkara. Photo: Yana Borg Debono Grech/Facebook.

Presser marathon for PN

11.03am It looks like it's going to be a busy day for the PN. They have just issued another press call for noon at that party's headquarters, about "creating new economic niches". We will bring you all the information on that later.

In the meantime, you can read the full report of the PN's earlier conference here.

Metsola snapped with Borg

10.56am Alex Borg is out campaigning this morning, and he's joined by EP President Roberta Metsola.

In case you missed it, Borg is contesting the 12th District apart from his home district of Gozo. Having Metsola by his side will surely help get people's attention.

Roberta Metsola snapped campaigning with Alex Borg in Mellieħa. Photo: Alex Borg/Facebook.

Disabilities and pensions

10.45am Daniel Ellul has the latest from the Labour conference. Julia Farrugia and Carmelo Abela basically reiterated what has already been proposed.

For the disability sector, this includes free therapy for children with disabilities, extra leave and a lower tax rate for parents of children with disability, and a carers grant equivalent to the minimum wage.

On pensions, the proposals are yearly pension increases, NI transfers for couples and full pensions for widows.

PL press conference starting

10.16am The Labour Party's morning presser has just started. You can follow it below.

Medtech teasing continues

10.05am Last January, Economy Minister Silvio Schembri teased in a Facebook video that the government secured a major private investment in the medical technology, or MedTech, sector.

Four months later and we're none the wiser on what this investment is, but Schembri posted another video to Facebook, again teasing of new details that will emerge soon of this investment.

Fuel hub explained

9.44am Giulia Magri is in Birżebbuġa covering the PN's press conference. So far, Ivan Castillo is explaining how bunkering is no new sector, but one which will create new careers. He said the sector will generate €450 million in its first three years.

Castillo also said a PN government will remove the LNG tanker currently stationed at Delimara within its first legislature. The government will set up a task force in its first 100 days for this, and in the second year it will settle all procurements and regulations for the project.

He also said the hub will be a multi fuel tanker too. He said apart from LNG, it will also store "alternative fuels", such as hydrogen.

PN holds press conference

9.35am PN candidate Ivan Castillo is speaking at a press conference.

Watch it in the video below.

Momentum: Swieqi is already chaos

9.33am Momentum says Swieqi is already feeling the negative effects of overtourism - and it's only May.

"Car vandalism continues to top the polls, while scenes of intoxicated people knocked out of their senses and sleeping on pavements are becoming a common occurrence," party leader Arnold Cassola said.

Cassola, who will contest the 9th and 10th districts believes the problem can be partially resolved with more nighttime police patrols, tougher penalties including on-the-spot fines and giving local councils more powers to tackle these issues.

Cash for babies? Do this instead

9.25am Both major parties have proposed some sort of cash grant to be given upon a child's birth.

Financial coach Patrick Debattista thinks the proposals could be much more effective, if only they were tweaked slightly.

"Malta has the political will, the financial means and the global precedent to do something genuinely transformative," Patrick writes in this opinion piece. "Both parties have identified the right number. Now let us do something ambitious with it."

PN to hold press conference in Birżebbuġa

9.18am The PN will hold a press conference in Birżebbuġa this morning. It will focus on the proposals the party presented yesterday for a Mediterranean maritime fuel hub.

What happened yesterday?

9.04am Catching up on what happened yesterday on the campaign trail?

Nicole Meilak has you covered: check out her Election Desk take on day eight of the campaign. Read till the end for advice on how to hack marriage to get a stamp duty break.

Rehabilitated

8.57am One of those nominees will be Rosianne Cutajar, who says she will also be contesting the 12th district along with her usual 6th. The 12th district includes Mġarr, Mellieħa, St Paul’s Bay and Burmarrad.

It's quite the comeback for the former junior minister. Just three years ago, Robert Abela was telling journalists "I am totally excluding a Cutajar run on the Labour ticket". Now he wants her to run in two districts.

Nominations open tomorrow

8.50am Many candidates have already announced they are running, but nominations are technically not open yet.

Electoral Commissioners will start receiving candidate nominations tomorrow, online and in person. Online nominations can be made through the website www.electoral.gov.mt from 9.00 am on Thursday till 7pm on Monday, May 11.

They can also be made in person at the Counting Hall Complex at Naxxar between Thursday and Monday from 9am to 1pm and from 3pm to 7pm.