Editorial: The next government’s real test

By this afternoon, Malta will have chosen its next government. By tomorrow, it will no longer be about campaign slogans and carefully choreographed promises but something far more important: governing.

No manifesto, tax rebate or electoral giveaway can conceal the fact Malta can no longer afford to ignore the elephants in the room.

The 2026 electoral campaign was one of the most civil in memory and credit goes to the parties and candidates. But that was also partly because a number of chronic problems were either sidelined or placated with unrealistic proposals.

These range from traffic congestion to unbridled construction, which continues to reshape skylines and impact communities and public spaces.

The environment is being chipped away and sold to the highest bidder, while noise pollution has become the norm. Public spaces are increasingly treated as extensions of commercial premises, and the mentality of 'build now and sanction later' is now practically institutionalised.

In fact, one of the greatest disappointments of this election was the reluctance of Labour and the Nationalist Party to seriously address Malta’s planning crisis. The debate around overdevelopment, construction excesses and planning reform was largely left to ADPD and Momentum. 

One of the most encouraging developments in the last few years has been the impact of civil society movements and the way they’re increasingly teaming up with residents’ groups. They may not enjoy privileged access to ministers and may not threaten politicians with electoral repercussions, but they cannot continue to be ignored.

The next government cannot ignore the silent majority who believe economic growth should improve everyone's lives rather than enrich a minority. The next government cannot ignore the law-abiding citizens who have had enough of seeing the bullies rule the roost.

Equally troubling in this campaign was the limited attention given to another issue that continues to damage Malta’s institutions and international reputation: corruption.

The next government cannot ignore the silent majority that believes economic growth should improve the lives of everyone rather than enrich the minority

The Nationalist Party, under Alex Borg’s leadership, made a deliberate strategic choice to run a largely positive campaign. There was logic in that approach and, politically speaking, it appears to have worked. Yet, the consequence was that crucial issues like corruption and institutional reform were conspicuous by their absence. And did anyone mention climate change, one of the most pressing problems in the Mediterranean?

The next government must demonstrate that public office exists to serve the national interest rather than party loyalists, favoured constituencies or well-connected lobby groups. Malta has had enough of clientelism and seeing the best jobs being given to the party boys.

Another problem that came to the fore in this campaign is Malta’s problem of racism and xenophobia.

During the campaign, both Robert Abela and Borg chose to blatantly discriminate against third-country workers – the same people who fuel our economy but who we want to remain invisible.

Like many countries, Malta has a genuine migration challenge but it is also to a large extent engineered because of our economic model and the facts that our governments persist in employing tens of thousands of Maltese workers. Responsible leadership requires addressing concerns without fuelling prejudice and to stop plundering public coffers for unproductive jobs.

Essentially, the next prime minister must keep a close eye on public finances. This campaign produced an unprecedented bonanza of pledges, many of them targeted at specific interest groups. Some may be justified but don’t blame us for being cynical that many appeared designed primarily to secure votes.

Malta is part of a global economy increasingly exposed to geopolitical instability, wars, trade disputes and economic uncertainty.

The assumption that growth will continue indefinitely, regardless of external events, is dangerous.

Whatever happens, we wish Malta’s next prime minister good luck. The challenges are considerable but so are the opportunities.