A new progressive party, with centre-left liberal leanings, is expected to join the political ranks in the coming weeks with a bid to rattle Malta’s two-party dominance. 

The Partit Malta Progressiva (PMP), il-Progressivi, will comprise individuals from different political backgrounds, including former officials from the Labour Party and the Greens. The party’s statute has been finalised, and the official launch is scheduled for January.

“Our party will be red, dark red, green, orange, yellow and very pale blue,” one insider told Times of Malta on condition of anonymity. 

Meetings have been held with potential backers and supporters, including environmental and human rights activists.

Campaigners stressed that il-Progressivi will not be “just another small party” that contested and repeatedly failed to make any dents in general elections. 

“This will be the ‘other’ party apart from PN and PL. Our hope is to do a Macron,” said the source.

Emanuel Macron’s meteoric rise to the French presidency in 2017 defied the traditional political playbook. At just 39 years old, Macron emerged as a centrist outsider, launching his political movement, La République En Marche!, barely a year before the election, and won the support of a disenchanted electorate.

It is still unclear who will lead the PMP, with sources indicating that two people could lead the party. Times of Malta is informed it is planning to field at least one candidate in each of the districts for the upcoming general election – provided the election is not called significantly earlier than its scheduled date in spring 2027.

PMP is planning to field at least one candidate in each of the districts for the upcoming general election. File photo

“We have people well versed in politics and they know what works and what doesn’t. We will not close the door to anyone, but the party comes with strong ideals – workers’ rights, social justice, good governance, human rights, the environment, reproductive rights.”

'People fed up with PL, find PN too conservative'

Another source behind the new party said the Maltese electorate has had enough of the two main parties, and this was amply reflected in the last two elections and surveys. 

In the 2022 general election, around 9,000 people voted for a third party or independent candidate, while a further 63,000 either stayed home or invalidated their vote. 

After 11 years, the people are fed up of Labour, and they find the Nationalist Party still too conservative to their liking

In the 2024 MEP elections, a whopping 33,103 people voted for third parties or independent candidates, in large part due to a strong showing by independent candidate Arnold Cassola, while a further 110,000 either invalidated their vote or did not vote at all.

“After 11 years, the people are fed up with Labour, and they find the Nationalist Party still too conservative to their liking. Many will not vote,” the source said. 

The chances for small parties and independent candidates to get elected remains low with Malta’s electoral system favouring PN and Labour. The dominance is rooted in the country’s single transferable vote system within multi-member districts, combined with constitutional provisions aimed at ensuring proportional representation. 

These provisions, while intended to reflect the popular vote more accurately, have inadvertently entrenched the two-party system by making it difficult for smaller parties or independent candidates to gain a foothold in parliament. 

Calls for reform often emphasise the need for more equitable representation, such as lowering thresholds for smaller parties.

Civil society NGO il-Kollettiv – which is not part of the PMP – is petitioning parliament to reform the electoral system, insisting electoral trends are being ignored because the current system requires candidates to capture 16.7% of the district vote to be elected. 

The upcoming general election could see other independent parties contesting, including one steered by Cassola, the former Greens leader, who missed out on a seat in the European Parliament despite getting the third-highest first-preference votes in June.