Five takeaways from the final leaders’ debate

Robert Abela and Alex Borg faced off for the final time in the electoral campaign on Wednesday during a TV debate hosted by the Broadcasting Authority.

The debate, moderated by journalist Liam Carter, focused on the parties’ pledges and who is more credible to lead the country for the next five years.

Here are some key takeaways from the debate:

Proposals for sale

During most of the debate, the leaders listed their major proposals one by one in a bid to convince voters that they would be better off under their leadership.

Borg kicked off his opening speech with the PN’s financial measures: lower income tax, removing the succession and donations taxes and increasing pensions and stipends.

Apart from financial measures, Borg said the PN is offering solutions to certain problems such as overpopulation, security, healthcare and schooling.

On transport, he said the PN is offering a long-term measure by investing in a metro while still using short-term measures, such as cheaper licence fees, to tackle traffic more immediately.

Abela listed Labour’s proposals later in the debate. He said the Labour Party’s manifesto has been costed and is feasible, with measures targeting people at every stage of life – be they parents, students, first-time buyers or pensioners.

He also focused on Labour’s track record at implementing the measures it promised during the 2022 election, although Borg challenged this. Borg held up photos of the massive green spaces promised by the Labour Party in 2022, which never materialised, and asked Abela if he is ready to carry out the recommendations of the Jean Paul Sofia and Daphne Caruana Galizia public inquiries.

Credibility trumps all

Throughout the campaign, both parties have been trying to pitch themselves as the more credible party to lead the country. Wednesday's debate was no different.

Borg said he has an energetic team around him consisting of experienced people and some fresh faces who are ready to breathe new life into the country.

The PN leader said that while Labour also has a competent team, many people resigned over the years, often in the shadow of a political scandal.

Abela disagreed that Borg has a competent team around him. He said the person behind the PN’s Mediterranean fuel hub proposal was a “pseudo-engineer” who only owned up to the plan after the PN refused to reveal the mastermind of the project.

He also said that the PN never published its studies on its mass transport project and solar panels proposal. He said people will vote on Saturday without having seen such plans.

Abela said his cabinet ministers are credible and have already proved themselves in moments of crisis.

“Under the PN, people kept hidden throughout the campaign could become ministers next week,” he said.

AI politics

There were a couple of comments from both sides about the use of AI during the campaign.

Abela mentioned Labour’s Malta in Motion transport proposal, which envisages a single light rail line connecting high-density areas in Malta and incorporating other transport modes.

“These are not just a couple of AI images and us promising to carry out a project in five years,” he said, in reference to the PN’s use of AI-generated imagery to help people visualise some of its proposals.

Later in the debate, Borg presented Labour’s 2022 visuals of its Project Green pledges, accusing Labour of using AI for these visuals too. “AI did a good job but the projects remained AI,” he said.

Questions in advance?

This was the fifth debate of the electoral campaign – but it would have been the sixth, had Abela shown up to the debate hosted by Il-Każin and the Times of Malta.

Both Borg and Abela were invited to face questions and debate one another in a presidential debate-style format on Monday. Borg agreed to be questioned on the show but Abela declined and did not take part in the debate.

Borg capitalised on this during Wednesday's debate. Towards the end of the session, he accused Abela of only showing up to debates when he’s given the questions in advance.