Five out of six of Malta’s MEPs spent over €25,000 on their electoral campaigns, with Labour MEP Josianne Cutajar declaring the highest expenditure at €47,042.59.
David Casa (PN) was the second top spender at €44,653.89, followed by Alexander Agius Saliba (Labour) at €38,182.54, Roberta Metsola (PN) at €37,438, Miriam Dalli (Labour) at €26,463.20, and Alfred Sant (Labour) at €17,736, according to figures released by the Electoral Commission.
Other high-spending candidates, who, however, failed to get elected, were Cyrus Engerer (Labour – €44,397.51), Francis Zammit Dimech (PN – €38,579) and James Grech (Labour – €27,054).
Four of the six elected MEPs were seeking re-election, while Dr Cutajar and Dr Agius Saliba, both lawyers, were first-time candidates. Dr Zammit Dimech was an MEP but failed to get re-elected.
Around 80 per cent of MEP candidates declared a campaign figure of under €25,000, and Democratic Party candidate Camilla Appelgren spent nothing on her campaign. Yet, nevertheless, she managed to get 3,053 first count votes.
Defending the high cost of her campaign, Dr Cutajar, who was a Nadur local councillor and worked as a legal coordinator at the Office of the Prime Minister, told Times of Malta: “When I decided to put my name forward as a candidate last year, I was practically unknown.
“As a young Gozitan local councillor, you could hardly say I was a household name. People will vote on the basis of a candidate’s principles and proposals – but it would be naive to think that those principles and proposals would get through to enough people without expenses such as events, published material, advertising in its various forms and other relative campaign expenses.”
Mr Casa claimed that it was necessary to devote more re-sources to ensure voters heard his position.
“This last campaign was perhaps the most challenging, as the Labour Party’s communication dominance has been further strengthened with the complete capture and control of the national broadcaster,” he said.
“This, coupled with a vicious negative campaign against me, made making my voice heard all the more crucial.”
Mr Engerer, the third highest spender among the candidates, did not express regret at the steep cost of his campaign.
“Quality campaigns cost money. I am satisfied with the level, quality and content of my team’s 2019 MEP campaign,” he said.
Meanwhile, grassroots activist Ms Appelgren, who did not spend anything in the election, claimed it was important to run her political campaign in the same way she ran her decade-long environmentalist movement in Malta.
“I wanted to show people that this is something anyone can do. We are all political… once you have an opinion that makes you political,” she said.
The environmental impact of all the leaflets produced, and in the majority of cases binned before perusal, was also an important consideration in her decision not to splash out on advertising.
Finally, she also mentioned accountability.
“With the corruption that exists in Malta, I did not want to leave room for any rumours that there is some hidden agenda why I am taking money from a person,” she added.
More information should be disclosed to the public
In total, Labour MEP candidates spent the highest amount at €238,047, while their PN counterparts disbursed €190,046.
All candidates declared an expenditure no higher than €50,000 as stipulated by the law.
Declarations of 39 out of the 41 candidates are available to the general public for viewing by the Electoral Commission.
Brain Not Ego’s Antoine Borg failed to hand in his declaration, while PD’s Anthony Buttigieg was unable to swear in his declaration as he was indisposed on the day he was meant to appear before a notary, an Electoral Commission official told Times of Malta.
Funding the campaign
Out of the eight top spenders, Dr Cutajar, Mr Engerer, Dr Zammit Dimech and Dr Sant claimed to have funded the campaign entirely out of their own pockets.
About five per cent of Dr Metsola’s campaign was accounted for by funds raised through one coffee morning at €1,912.
Two coffee mornings brought in €5,200 for Mr Casa, accounting for nearly 12 per cent of his total expenditure.
Around 14 per cent of Dr Dalli’s campaign was financed by donations from three individuals, totalling €3,800.
Accountability and transparency
While MEPs’ declaration of ex-penditure entails listing different expenses, there is no legal requirement to provide receipts as proof of expenditure.
Asked whether the current procedure lacks accountability, Mr Casa replied: “More information should be disclosed to the public, particularly for contributions to a campaign that are significant.
“There was no such contribution to my campaign.”
Mr Engerer, whose campaign was self-funded, also supported stronger measures of accountability, claiming: “In future elections, apart from changes for more transparency and accountability (by presenting receipts, pending invoices and bank payment transactions), I would also like to see changes in the way these declarations are filled in, reflecting today’s realities.
“I also believe that all candidates, during a campaign, should declare which lobby and interest groups they are meeting (as per European Commission proposal on a Transparency Register for elected MEPs).”