Malta's main political parties must choose between serving the people or powerful lobbies, civil society group il-Kollettiv said on Monday. 

In an analysis of the European Parliament election results, the group said that the verdict shows that large swathes of the country feel that the Labour government's policies aren't working for them. 

"The detachment between political power and everyday life is reflected in the way in which the party has lost most of its support," they said. 

Since the last election, they continued, the Government’s policy has been to distribute public resources – including land, the coast, and taxpayers’ money – to lobbies and individuals with private interests.

This has led to the consequence of the loss of open spaces, the constant threat of construction and the lack of law enforcement across the board to be felt directly by local communities. 

This situation has put not only the Government but also the Opposition at a crossroads. 

"The differences in economic policy between the two major parties are negligible and as long as these will remain servile to the interests of big business, particularly the construction lobby, the public’s disenchantment with these two monoliths will continue to increase," the group said in a statement. 

"In short, PLPN have to make a choice between serving its electors and serving lobbies."

Overall, il-Kollettiv said that it was disappointed to see a lack of European issues discussed during an EU election, while other important issues such as the cost of living and workers' rights are being sidelined. 

They named Arnold Cassola as the "moral victor" of the election, interpreting his first-count votes are proof of the need for "a credible force that can challenge the political duopoly with concrete proposals and clear policies".

"Il-Kollettiv believes the electorate has had enough of the mediocrity that has been allowed to fester on our parliamentary benches throughout the last years and is looking for trustworthy people to govern it," they said.

"It is high time for an electoral reform that respects the wishes of those who do not want to be part of the political duopoly, which is suffocating public quality of life, and also the opportunity for change."