The 11th district, consisting of Mdina, Attard, Mosta and Burmarrad, was a happy hunting ground for the Nationalist Party in the 2017 election.
Of the five seats up for grabs, the PN managed to secure three, leaving Labour with the remaining two. In percentage terms, this translated to 55.42 per cent of the vote for the PN and 43 per cent for Labour.
AD managed just 1.2 per cent of the vote, with the rest going to other small parties.
Then PN leader Simon Busuttil attracted the lion’s share of the votes, followed by current PN deputy leader David Agius and Edwin Vassallo.
Both Busuttil and Agius gave up their seats, having been elected on other districts in the last election.
This paved the way for Ivan Bartolo and Maria Fatima Deguara, a doctor specialising in family medicine, to take up seats in parliament via a casual election.
Anthony Agius Decelis was the lead candidate for Labour, followed closely by Alex
Muscat. The pair, who were both elected on the 23rd count, were separated by less than 400 votes.
What to look out for
PN leader Bernard Grech should follow in Busuttil’s footsteps by attracting the largest tally of votes on the blue list. Agius, Vassallo, Deguara and Bartolo will be vying for the remaining two seats.
Alex Perici Calascione, president of the PN’s executive committee, will also be hoping to leave his mark, as will newcomer Rebekah-Ann Cilia.
Labour’s top performer here is expected to be Energy Minister Miriam Dalli.
Observers see the second seat going to either Muscat or Agius Decelis, with Mosta mayor Romilda Baldacchino Zarb also one to watch.
Although neither have any realistic chance of a seat, the ‘battle’ between ADPD’s Ralph Cassar and Arnold Cassola, AD’s former chairman turned independent, could be of interest for political pundits.
The main issues
The densely-populated locality of Mosta is the most populous in this district so, naturally, the focal point of much of a lot of the election canvassing by all candidates.
Mosta residents often complain about the lack of parking and a proper traffic management system.
Plans for a massive underground parking complex were shot down by a PN-led local council in 2017 over concerns the project would damage the iconic Mosta church.
Overdevelopment in the locality is also being seen as a rising concern.
Individuals canvassed by the candidates have increasingly been raising the cost of living issue as a concern.
In some instances, candidates have been told about the difficulties faced by people on a ‘normal’ income or monthly pension, saying they have problems making ends meet for the first time in years.
Residents of Attard, vociferous opponents of the Central Link project, are still voicing some discontent during house visits about the traffic situation and ongoing roadworks.
On a national level, various surveys carried out show people in this particular district also see corruption and price rises as a point of concern.
The candidates
Labour Party
Anthony Agius Decelis
Michael Farrugia
Alexander Muscat
Romilda Baldacchino Zarb
Miriam Dalli
Nationalist Party
Edwin Vassallo
Alexander Louis Mangion
Ivan Bartolo
Bernard Grech
Joseph Mark Grech
Alexander Perici Calascione
Maria Fatima Deguara
Silvio Brincat
Rebekah-Ann Cilia
David Agius
ABBA
Matthew Grech
Vanessa Vassallo
ADPD
Ralph Cassar
Independent
Arnold Cassola
Volt Malta
Thomas Malia