Day 15: PN unveils its candidates as PL makes transport proposals

Follow events on the campaign trail with our live blog

Day 15 of the general election campaign ended with PN leader Alex Borg presenting the party’s candidates, describing them as “full of energy, full of experience and full of love for Malta and Gozo".

We now have a definitive list of all the candidates who will be running come May 30, as nominations have now closed.

Nine Nationalist and six Labour MPs from the previous legislature will not be competing for a seat in the upcoming one.

Labour used its morning press conference on its €829 million transport plan, including new road projects.

The PN later set out proposals for the disciplined forces, including reopening police stations, revising service pensions and modernising the AFM.

Here's a recap of the day's events

Live blog

That time of the day again

5.48pm. We're wrapping up the live blog for the day. But check out the website later when we have the latest from Robert Abela's discussion event in San Ġwann at 6.30pm and the PN's event with its candidates on the second district in Żabbar.

'Full of energy, experience and love for Malta'

5.24pm Presenting the PN's candidates, leader Alex Borg described them as “full of energy, full of experience and full of love for Malta and Gozo.”

Standing in front of his group of 62, he said they were “determined, ready and prepared” and even though "we may not be perfect", they are determined to give a new sort of politics and deliver the breath of fresh air that the country needs.

Meet the PN's new election hopefuls

4.51pm The PN is rolling out its new candidates with party leader Alex Borg doing the introductions.

Watch the line-up as it's unveiled live:

'Clueless or dishonest' on traffic

4.40pm In reaction to Labour's latest transport proposals, ADPD-The Green Party said the government is once again proving that it is in complete denial about the real causes of Malta's traffic crisis.

Instead of presenting a serious plan to reduce car dependency, Labour is recycling failed policies that have already consumed hundreds of millions of euro while making congestion worse.

ADPD said that “junction improvements”, flyovers and road widening projects have been the centrepiece of Labour’s failed transport policy for years.

Deputy chairperson Carmel Cacopardo said Robert Abela and Labour are refusing to be honest about traffic because they are unwilling to admit that Malta cannot solve congestion while continuing to encourage ever-growing car dependency.

"They are either clueless or being dishonest with people. In the process, they are also laying to waste large areas of agricultural land.”

Public transport must become the easiest and most efficient option, not an afterthought attached to road-building schemes, ADPD said.

PN to present its candidates

4.03pm PN leader Alex Borg is set to present the Nationalist Party's team of candidates. The presentation will be broadcast live on NET TV, NET FM and Facebook at 4.30pm.

Here's a reminder of the list we compiled of all the candidates, broken down by district and party.

'PA - a permit factory'

3.35pm ADPD-The Green Party has called for environmental protection to become a national priority, warning that Malta cannot continue treating land, sea and biodiversity as unlimited resources.

Chairperson Sandra Gauci and spokesperson Mark Zerafa criticised overdevelopment, describing the Planning Authority as a “permit factory” rather than a protector of the common good.

The party proposed a wide-ranging environmental agenda, including revising local plans based on climate criteria, scrapping the 2006 rationalisation scheme, protecting ODZ land, stopping spring hunting, safeguarding beaches and biodiversity, and strengthening environmental rights in the constitution.

'Hidden money and behind-the-scenes influence'

3.15pm The Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation has called for urgent reforms to improve transparency in Malta’s political financing and electoral process, warning that hidden money and behind-the-scenes influence distort political decision-making.

The foundation said the Electoral Commission could immediately increase transparency by extending public access to candidates’ campaign expense declarations beyond the current two-week period and ensuring equal access to real-time vote counts for smaller parties.

It also proposed wider legal reforms, including stricter oversight of party financing, public disclosure of donations exceeding €100, online publication of campaign expenses, and stronger monitoring and enforcement powers for the Electoral Commission.

Wrap-up of PN's press conference

3.05pm The PN's press conference today focused on the disciplinary corps. Here's a wrap-up of that press conference.

'Thank you Mario'

2.50pm ADPD deputy chair Carmel Cacopardo has paid tribute to Mario de Marco, after the veteran PN MP decided not to contest the upcoming general election.

Cacopardo described de Marco as someone who listened seriously and paid attention to differing views.

He recalled that during his time as minister, de Marco regularly held consultations quietly and without fanfare, adding that had he remained in office longer, some major mistakes made over the years might have been corrected earlier.

“Mario, thank you for your service,” Cacopardo said.

Coming from overseas to vote?

1.40pm We've been informed tickets are now available for an additional flight from Malta to London Gatwick on June 2, with departure scheduled for 4.35pm.

Hundreds of Maltese nationals living abroad have been trying to book flights to come vote in the general election. Many believe this is discriminatory. Author and humanitarian worker Karl Schembri has filed a judicial protest about this issue.

'We're open to all people of goodwill' - Borg

1.30pm Fielding questions from journalists, Alex Borg said former MP and lawyer Franco Debono is contributing to the PN’s electoral programme, while Edwin Vassallo was also present at the party headquarters earlier this week.

“I believe in the qualities of everyone, provided they are people of goodwill. The PN is a movement that embraces different ideas and perspectives, and my door is always open,” Borg said.

He added that the party had not barred anyone from contesting, insisting the incumbents who are not contesting the May 30 election did so out of choice.

“But I can assure you many of them are still helping behind the scenes. We do not discard experience,” he said, contrasting his party with Labour, which chose to ditch seasoned politicians.

Timelines and the cannabis law

1.20pm Alex Borg insists that almost every proposal made by the PN comes with a cost analysis drawn up by experts. Each also comes with a timeline, he assures reporters.

Asked about the cannabis law, Borg said it is also important to protect third-party rights - but he insists the PN in government will not be "turning the clock back".

Malta needs a 'clean energy leader' - Momentum

1.05pm Momentum has unveiled three proposals aimed at making Malta a “clean energy leader”, arguing the country is lagging badly behind the rest of Europe on ecological transition.

The party said it would push for a comprehensive environmental policy to make Malta carbon neutral by 2050 through investment in renewable energy sources.

It also pledged to accelerate offshore wind and solar farm projects by cutting bureaucratic delays, while supporting community-owned renewable energy cooperatives.

Candidate Mark Camilleri Gambin said Malta needs “political courage” to reduce dependence on fossil fuels.

PN pledges to reopen police stations, service pensions

12.55pm The Nationalist Party, through Alex Borg and MP Darren Carabott, is unveiling its various proposals focused on disciplined forces (i.e. the police, army, Civil Protection Department and so on). They include:

Members who stay on past 25 years will get their service pension anyway while they keep working, for up to 10 years;
Service pensions will be adjusted annually to equal two-thirds of the rank’s salary at the time of retirement'
An ‘injustices board’ to hear grievances and award compensation;
Reopening and modernising police stations in villages while keeping community policing;
Modernising the AFM with new technology and giving it a new focus on cybersecurity;
Giving the CPD access to online, real-time site plans it can rely on during emergencies;
Dignity and rehabilitation programmes in prison focusing on integration – with a focus on community work for the young offenders.

Alex Borg and Darren Carabott. Photo: Jonathan Borg

Wrap-up of Labour's press conference

12.43pm Our reporter Daniel Ellul has wrapped up Robert Abela's press conference on his party's plans for transport. You can read the report here.

Robert Abela addressing the news conference. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

Alex Borg holds press conference

12.32pm The PN is holding a press conference. Watch it in the video below.

Private coaches could be integrated into bus system

11.49am Abela says Labour believes its transport plan will cost €829 million over the next five years. Some projects (such as the light rail plan) cost more, but costs will stretch beyond five years.

Earlier, Abela also made an unusual revelation: they are in talks with private coach operators to see if some can be integrated into the public transport system, to effectively temporarily add vehicles to the fleet.

Buses to get traffic light priority

11.42am Abela is taking questions from journalists.

He is asked about excluding foreign workers from Labour’s ‘super bonus’ pledge. His reply steers clear of the inflammatory framing he used when addressing a crowd of supporters: it is socially just to ensure only workers who make some NI contributions qualify, he says.

Subsidies to private operators of the Gozo fast ferry will stay: if the subsidy is removing, ticket prices will shoot up, he says.

Public transport will get priority at traffic lights using RFID technology, Abela tells journalists.

And he steers clear of controversy concerning Conrad Borg Manche, who quit Labour and will now run for the PN: I wish all candidates the best, he says.

More Labour proposals

11.21am Abela also mentioned some other proposals, though they are things that have already been announced.

Examples: new Gozo Channel vessels, including a dedicated cargo vessel; a Malta-Gozo air taxi once the airstrip is completed; shore-to-ship power at the Freeport.

PN press conference at 12pm

11.16am Meanwhile, the PN has called a press conference for 12pm at party headquarters. We will bring you live coverage of it when it begins.

New road projects

11.15am Other transport pledges from Labour:

Consider residential parking schemes in some localities. But no paid parking, Abela emphasises.
From 2029, cabs and rental cars must be an EV or hybrid
Road projects at Tal-Barrani, Paceville junction and Qormi Imgħallaq junction
A new €55m breakwater at the Grand Harbour

Good numbers for new ferry link

11.05am Abela says that the new Bugibba-Sliema-Gozo fast ferry carried 12,300 passengers in its first week, despite rough seas.

“This means we think it’s going to be a successful project,” he says.

Labour unveils its transport proposals

11am Labour is unveiling its transport-related proposals. Among the proposals:

More shuttle buses to ferries
Rewarding public transport users with ‘mobility credits’ that can be redeemed for various products and services
More frequent buses, and smaller buses entering town centres

Abela also mentioned the government's 15-year 'Malta in Motion' light rail plan, unveiled last month.

Robert Abela press conference

10.50am Robert Abela is holding a press conference. Watch it in the video below.

Who's not running?

10.45am Now that we have a list of candidates for the general election, we know who is not running, too. A rather incredible 16 MPs from this past legislature will not be on ballot sheets come May 30.

Here’s the full list of who's not running.

Keeping kids out of politics

10.27am Alex Borg's partner Sarah Bajada has posted to Facebook to share some thoughts on family life during the campaign - including her reasoning for keeping her son out of the mass meeting spotlight.

ADPD: Abela pandering to racists

10.15am ADPD has accused Robert Abela of pandering to “racist elements within his party” with his shocking boast about excluding foreigners from tax cuts.

The Green Party also noted the bitter irony of a workers’ party discriminating between workers, just days after celebrating workers’ day.

“This is not language befitting of a prime minister,” ADPD’s Mario Mallia (districts 2 and 8) said. “

This intentional and systematic language of exclusion is dangerous and unacceptable,” he said, adding that it would “fan the flames of racism within his party, just to win some votes.”

"It seems the prime minister conveniently forgot that a lot of the GDP growth he boasts about is built on the backs of these workers."

FELTOM welcomes PN ideas

9.40am FELTOM, the lobby group representing English language teaching schools, is pleased with the Nationalist Party’s proposal to introduce tax exemptions for families hosting foreign students and give NI credits to parents who quit work to host students.

"These measures acknowledge the essential contribution that Maltese host families make to the English Language Teaching (ELT) sector," it said. The lobby group said it wanted a clear distinction made between families who host students and those who operate short-let models such as Airbnb.

"Hosting a learner is not the same as offering a short-term rental. It is a relationship built on care, connection, and cultural exchange and it is this experience that sets Malta apart," said Jessica Rees-Jones, CEO of FELTOM.

Labour press conference at 10.30am

9.20am Labour will be holding its usual morning press conference in Ta’ Qali. That is scheduled to begin at 10.30am.

We have yet to hear from the PN this morning.

Do better

8.50am Good morning and welcome to this live blog. The campaign has taken an ugly, somewhat xenophobic turn in recent days.

Labour began by attacking the PN's tax pledge by questioning its arithmetic. It then switched gears and accused the party of giving a tax break to non-EU workers (the horror).

Robert Abela then cranked that up by openly boasting about spending "months" working with experts to find ways of locking those non-EU workers out of their "super bonus" pledge.

We were disgusted by that [read our editorial] and we are equally disgusted with politicians from the PN side fanning the flames of xenophobia to score political points.

Is this what we are as a nation?