Election Desk: The cast is complete

Welcome to the Election Desk. This is where we round up the major headlines of the last 24 hours, together with some of the more light-hearted and funnier sides of the campaign trail.

All present and accounted for

The nominations deadline has passed and the cast for the May 30 election is officially set. A total of 162 candidates submitted 286 candidatures across 13 districts, with some opting to contest two districts.

Now that we know who’s in the running, we can now also confirm who isn’t on the list. Sixteen sitting MPs – nine from the PN and seven from Labour – will not recontest their seats. That’s about one in five of those elected in 2022 calling it a day.   

The PN departures include former minister Chris Said, who is vacating his seat after 21 years, and Mario de Marco, who is ending a 23-year political career.

On the Labour side, former housing minister Roderick Galdes had his path to re-election blocked by his own party on the day the election was called. Former justice minister Edward Zammit Lewis, who served as a vocal backbench MP after being left out of cabinet in 2022, says he is going to focus on his legal career instead.

Other departures were less dramatic. Ryan Callus cited his young family for his stepping away from politics.

David Agius, who spent over two decades in parliament and a stint keeping Franco Debono in line as government whip, stepped away quietly. Claudette Buttigieg is sitting out of her first election since 2013. Worth flagging that she had said she would refuse to re-enter parliament through the gender quota mechanism.

Law, order and a pay rise

The PN unveiled a security package on Tuesday, with party leader Alex Borg and home affairs spokesperson Darren Carabott promising better pay and conditions for members of the disciplined forces. Officers who serve beyond 25 years would receive their service pension on top of their salary, and that pension will increase each year to reach two-thirds of the current salary.

The party also pledged to reopen all police stations and make them more welcoming, while community policing would be more integrated into the station system. Carabott said this was only the beginning of the party’s security plans.

Alex Borg says party would invest in talent, infrastructure and security services Photo: Jonathan Borg

Getting from A to B (eventually)

Labour focused on transport on Tuesday. Robert Abela unveiled a “model shift” strategy to push people out of their cars and onto public and alternative transport.

The plan, which Abela said will cost €829 million over five years, includes expanded ferry routes along the east coast, a light rail system in 15 years, a revamped bus network and a mobility wallet that gives credits for using public transport.

Abela insisted that Labour would not penalise car drivers with paid parking. He wants to have it both ways: encourage the shift but keep drivers happy. How this will pan out in practice will be more of a work in progress.

Labour also promised new road junctions for Paceville, Tal-Barrani, Burmarrad and Qormi’s Imgħallaq area.

Robert Abela said he believes its transport plan will cost €829 million over the next five years. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

Show me the money

We are 18 days away from voting day, and both parties are still working hard to win voters over. However, the Daphne Foundation has added its voice to the campaign noise by proposing reforms to how political financing is monitored.

The transparency watchdog is proposing that donations over €100 be logged in a publicly accessible database, while campaign expenses should stay online for at least two months after the election. Moreover, the Electoral Commission should be given real powers to investigate and fine parties for failing to report their finances.

The foundation even noted that some of its proposals don’t require a change in law. The Electoral Commission could implement them before May 30, if it wanted to, of course.

Keeping it in the family

On a lighter note, Borg’s partner, Sarah Bajada, explained on social media why her son, Sam, has been absent from the campaign trail. She wrote that mass meetings and political activities are not the right environment for him at this age, so she and Borg chose to keep him away so he could enjoy being a child.

It’s a refreshing, low-key decision given that children at political rallies are almost a campaign tradition. A Times of Malta opinionist recently questioned why politicians still parade their children at events in 2026.