Wednesday is day 24 of the general election campaign. Our live blog provided updates of the campaign as they happened throughout the day.
Read past blogs: Day one | day two | day three | day four | day five | day eight | day nine | day 10 | day 11 | day 12 | day 15 | day 16 | day 17 | day 18 | day 19 | day 22 | day 23
Spotted something worth noting? Get in touch at newsroom@timesofmalta.com
Live blog
What happened today on the campaign trail
8.45pm This live blog will end here.
- Robert Abela and Bernard Grech went head-to-head in a debate.
- Employers said they are dead-set against a Labour plan to push for mandatory union membership.
- BirdLife Malta accused both PL and PN of being "spineless" when it comes to stopping poachers. It later announced that an Ornis Committee meeting had recommended lifting a moratorium on the spring hunting of turtle doves.
- The UĦM lifted industrial action in connection with pending public sector collective agreements.
- Independent candidate Arnold Cassola reports Prime Minister, Finance Minister for corrupt practices.
ADPD attends civil society's Daphne Caruana Galizia vigil
8.40pm ADPD representatives attended civil society's Daphne Caruana Galizia vigil and later noted in a statement that 53 months since the assassination, the country has not yet taken the necessary action to ensure that what happened that day is not repeated.
It said its representatives in Parliament will insist on strengthening the rule of law in Malta and that the mafia culture is tackled head-on.
Its proposals include that:
- the recommendations of the Daphne Caruana Galizia inquiry are implemented in full;
- all public contracts awarded after 2013 are investigated;
- the passport sales scheme is scrapped immediately;
- a National Crime Agency is established under the authority of a special anti-Mafia magistrate;
- this agency should also investigate the oil contraband taking place at Hurd’s Bank;
- a whistleblower scheme at the Planning Authority;
- Much more substantial resources to the police to fight political corruption and money laundering.
Cassola reports Abela, Caruana for corrupt practices
8.32pm Meanwhile, in a statement this evening, independent candidate Arnold Cassola said he had filed an official report with the Electoral Commission against Prime Minister Robert Abela and Finance Minister Clyde Caruana for corrupt practices.
"They are distributing million, supposedly as a stimulus for recovery from COVID, to Maltese voters... These two are just part of a caretaker government and have no right to distribute the people's money in the middle of an election campaign in which they are taking part as candidates. This is a clear case of corrupt practice," he said.
Cassola said he requested the Electoral Commission to take "immediate action". A copy of his report, he said, was also being sent to the OSCE/OIHDR Election Expert Team, that is monitoring elections in Malta.
Educators’ pay package to ‘improve significantly’ – PM
8.26pm During the PL's activity in Msida, Robert Abela pledged “significant improvements” in teachers' pay package and said talks have already started with the Malta Union of Teachers on a new collective agreement for educators.
He said a measure which will bring about a big difference is the one in which physical activity will happen daily in schools. On extra-curricular activities, Abela said his party was pledging to help parents pay for their children’s activities by granting a tax credit that was being considerably improved.
On the environment, he said the government invested in a second interconnector to continue reducing emissions. Single-use plastics have been banned while €500 million is being invested in a project, Ecohive, to turn all waste into a resource.
He said the PL aims to make Gozo climate neutral, where all its electrical needs will come from renewable sources including solar and wind power.
Union u-turn sign of Labour’s ‘management by crisis’
8.13pm Speaking at the PN's Rabat activity tonight, Opposition Leader Bernard Grech said that Labour politicians’ apparent u-turn on an electoral promise to make trade union membership mandatory is a sign of a party that manages by crisis.
“This is one of those proposals that really shows the difference between the Nationalist Party and the Labour Party... The PN believe in giving you freedoms and rights while PL keeps finding ways to choke your freedoms and control you...
"From it being mandatory, now they’re saying the proposal still needs to be discussed. They wait to see what’s on social media and change their plans. There is no vision, only management by crisis.
Grech also said the pandemic is another way Robert Abela has chosen to control people. "To this day he discriminates against so many people. There are still limitations on weddings, hospitals visits and health services. They don’t have a plan, they just keep wasting money.”
Asked about former MP Mario Galea’s appearance at a Labour mental health conference, Grech said Galea has always been a vociferous mental health campaigner. “He had an opportunity and he took it... I will note Mario’s own words, he told us he was born a Nationalist and he will be a Nationalist until the day he dies. All I have to say is, the door is always open.”
Grech also added that consultation on the costings of the party’s manifesto was drawing to a close and would be published in the coming days.
UĦM lifts industrial action
7.18pm The UĦM Voice of the Workers says it has suspended industrial action in connection with pending public sector collective agreements following a declaration by the government on Tuesday that talks would resume immediately after the general election.
Recommendation for lifting of spring hunting moratorium
7.10pm Meanwhile, an Ornis committee meeting this evening voted for the lifting of a moratorium on the spring hunting of turtle doves which has been in place since April.
The vote was approved with five in favour, one abstention, and BirdLife Malta voting against.
There will be a bag limit of 1,500 turtle-doves. The hunting of quails will also be allowed.
Read the full report here.
PL's event in Msida
6.53pm The Labour Party's event in Msida has started.
Follow it live here:
PN's event at Rabat
6.42pm The PN's event in Rabat is about to start.
Watch it live here:
Bernard Grech's green promises
5.41pm While Robert Abela was meeting nurses, PN leader Bernard Grech met with environmental organisations to discuss the party’s plan for the environment.
Among those PN proposals:
- The regeneration of abandoned land;
- Adding 50,000m2 of land to ODZ each year
- Initiatives to promote green landscaping in homes and urban zones;
- A national fund for the state to buy historic gardens and properties from private owners;
- Creating national parks in several zones in Malta and Gozo;
- Identifying at least one pedestrian zone in every locality;
- Tax credits for afforestation projects;
- Creating a tree map listing all trees in Malta and Gozo.
Where are the leaders tonight?
5.35pm Robert Abela will be in Msida this evening, for an event that begins at 6.30pm. He will then move on to Żejtun, for a brief message to supporters that is scheduled for 8pm.
Bernard Grech is also making a 6.30pm appearance, albeit in Rabat. We will provide video links to both events.
ABBA and a 'culture of death'
5.27pm ABBA has made its anti-abortion stance a key tenet of its electoral manifesto. It’s now taking that to the next level – by asking the police to investigate people who see things differently.
The River of Love-linked political party has asked the police to investigate 18 people it claims have broken abortion laws. Unsurprisingly, all 18 have called for Malta’s anti-abortion laws to change.
ABBA is also not sparing Malta’s two major parties from criticism, saying their promises of free contraceptives and free morning-after pills promote a “culture of death”.
ABBA is arguably the third-largest political party in Malta: it's fielding more candidates in the upcoming general election than ADPD.
No nurses, no party
4pm Robert Abela met with the nurses' union this afternoon and spoke about his party's plans for the health sector.
That's all well and good, MUMN president Paul Pace told him, but proposals are useless unless there are the nurses needed to carry them out.
It's a long-standing problem: here are reports about nurses leaving Malta for the UK, the supply of new nurses drying up and the government poaching nurses from the private sector.
PLPN has vandalised Malta - ADPD
3.15pm In its news conference for today, ADPD cited Triq Dun Mikiel Xerri in Attard as an example of how the PLPN "vandalised Malta for the benefit of land speculators."
Candidate Ralph Cassar said that the destruction, initially approved by the Nationalist government in the 2006 rationalisation exercise, had continued under Labour, although when in opposition this had voted against.
A rationalisation exercise in 2006 had included a massive 15,500 square metre green area in Attard, which was originally ODZ.
The Planning Authority has, over the years, greenlighted a number of development applications in the area, situation to the back of the American Embassy complex at Ta’ Qali.
ADPD chairperson Carmel Cacopardo noted that most of the economic proposals being made by both the PN and the PL are aimed at encouraging development, land speculation and environmental destruction.
He called for more accessible open spaces, a holistic plan for transport decarbonisation, regular updates of the local plans and the removal of the 2006 rationalisation plan, through which two million square metres of land for development had been approved.
Some of this land, Cacopardo said, was still untouched and it was still possible to protect it.
He said that the country's size and the massive development that had taken place over the years made it impossible to permit all types of development.
There was no space for a race track, for example, because of the economic impact and the impact on the quality of life of residents who lived in the area.
More idiots on social media
2.45pm It’s become a bit of a recurring theme: idiots on social media making death threats to public figures.
This election’s youngest candidate, PN’s Eve Borg Bonello, is the latest victim.
Yesterday, she urged people to donate their tax refund cheques to the party. A couple of Einsteins replied by saying she should hang herself or deserved a “bomb from Russia”.
Borg Bonello has been on the receiving end of threats previously. She says that at the time, she blamed it on tensions running high in national politics. But now she believes it’s just because “people will threaten you just because you’re not a Partit Laburista activist.”
That might be a bit too blanket a statement – Labour candidate and minister Silvio Schembri reported a similar threat to the police just 10 days ago.
Abela: 'No development in Wied Żnuber'
2.05pm Prime Minister Robert Abela has pledged that there will be "no development" in Wied Żnuber. But it's not quite clear what his statement means.
Parts of that valley were earmarked for the construction of a miniature airstrip for model aircraft enthusiasts.
Moviment Graffitti has challenged district 5 candidates - and Abela is one of them - to say whether they will oppose those plans.
Abela's response does not close the door on the airstrip plans - he says that the government "will be speaking to those concerned to explain what the plans are."
"We could have done a better job of discussing this with them and we will continue that dialogue," he said.
Volt: 'No to mandatory unions membership'
1.43pm Volt has weighed in on employers' concerns that a new Labour government would bring in mandatory membership of unions. It says it's "deeply concerned" about the pledge.
"Yes to supporting unions but no to mandatory association," it said.
PN's pensions rebuttal
1.26pm While we were busy with the leaders’ debate, the PN held a press conference to counter Labour’s earlier one about pensions.
Paula Mifsud Bonnici and David Agius addressed the event, listing the party’s various proposals for the elderly and speaking about the PN’s track record in that sector over past decades.
You can watch it in the video below.
Debate ends
1.11pm We're onto closing statements.
Grech reiterates the PN’s emphasis on providing aid for merchant shipping, strengthening the maritime sector and fixing party financing.
“We need to progress from talk to action,” he says. “We will do what others did not.”
Abela focuses on pledges to improve the ease of doing business, to keep energy prices stable and to upskill workers.
And that’s that – the Malta Chamber is over. What did you make of the two leaders’ performances? Let us know at newsroom@timesofmalta.com.
Reducing waste and government deficits
1.05pm Corinne Fenech wants to know how we intend to increase manufacturing while also reducing waste.
Christabelle Spiteri cites a Times of Malta article about Malta’s deficit being higher than the EU average. What can be done about this?
Grech goes first this time. He says circular economy principles can be applied in all sectors, even if it can be challenging. Regarding the deficit – “that is why we need to create new economic sectors,” he says.
And then Abela, who focuses on Grech’s ESG emphasis. He says the government is all for companies applying ESG principles – but that it cannot make tax cuts contingent on them applying such measures.
He then turns to the deficit question, saying the government is projecting to slash it to 3.3%. The deficit rose because the government had to stimulate the economy and help keep businesses afloat, he says.
Abela is cut off before he can speak about the circular economy question.
Manufacturing and quality standards
12.58pm Nick Xuereb asks about the party’s R&D proposals. Malta lags sorely behind the EU’s target of investing 3% of GDP in such initiatives. And Chris Busuttil wants to know how the two parties will incentivise investment with a focus on quality.
Abela goes first. He cites his decision to make ‘innovation’ part of a ministerial portfolio and then says it is essential for Malta’s economy to be diversified. Boosting manufacturing, which he says struggled following EU membership, is high on their priority list.
He says Malta must aspire to achieve the highest quality standards across the EU, but says little about how to do that in terms of specifics.
Grech’s turn. He says the party’s omnibus anti-corruption bill would have boosted quality, but it was voted down by the government. Raising quality, he says, will happen if the country implements the PN’s proposals to incentivise ESG criteria for businesses.
The PN leader says Malta’s geographic reality makes it challenging for manufacturers and cites a PN proposal to make €40m available to help exports.
Copying one another
12.49pm Bernard Grech accuses Abela of “copying” the PN’s due diligence proposal.
Abela reacts with frustration: “What’s this insistence on copying? If a proposal is a good one, we implement it.”
“Good. You could have implemented it five months ago,” Grech replies.
Abela calls out overzealous banks
12.45pm Grech says business owners have seen expenses balloon because of additional red tape, and re-emphasises the importance of getting Malta off the FATF grey list.
Abela says due diligence is essential, but should be “calibrated and not excessive”. He reiterates something he said at a Q&A earlier this week – that banks are being overzealous in implementing rules and de-risking their balance sheets.
The Labour leader also cites a party proposal to create a one-stop due diligence unit that will centralise all such processes for government entities.
Bickering, and then questions
12.43pm A bit of childish bickering between the two leaders, as they toss remarks about each other’s respective tax payments and permit irregularities in their homes.
And then we're onto questions from the audience. RSM partner William Spiteri Bailey is the first to speak. He asks the two leaders to expound on their proposals to ease due diligence procedures for businesses.
What about planning?
12.35pm The moderator cites two recent PA permit approvals (one in Sannat and one in Xlendi) that show how little regard it has for Gozo’s natural heritage. Can we now start calling the PA the ‘Permit Authority’?
Abela’s reply about the Sannat permit is curious. The permit is still subject to two appeals, he says – one before the EPRT and one before the law courts. He then veers onto his talking points, citing a deal to cancel plans to build a university campus on ODZ land at Żonqor Point (a plan the Labour government approved in the first place, it should be noted).
“An authority is autonomous. But it has a duty to see what the government’s priorities are and go along with that strategic vision in every decision it takes,” he says.
The most destructive environmental decision in Malta's history, he says, was the redrawing of local plans in 2006 taken by a PN administration, he says.
Grech immediately goes on the attack, reminding the audience of Abela’s recent dinner with Joseph Portelli and implying it was intended to nudge the PA in the developer’s favour.
“This is the level playing field this country is lacking,” Grech says. The ‘Permit Authority’ moniker is accurate, he says. The PA needs to be transformed to focus on planning, he says, and there needs to be a focus on beautifying the country.
Why is the PN still so far behind?
12.26pm Bernard Grech is asked why, despite all the scandals, the PN is on track to lose its third consecutive general election.
It’s his turn to dodge the question, at least initially. He instead hits out at Abela – “of course people don’t ask you for favours, you’re constantly pestering them with offers of them,” he says.
Abela is constantly blaming others for his own failures, Grech says.
Grech then turns to the question. He admits that a gap remains and says the party “made mistakes” in the past but is working to convince people that it has changed. But he won’t say if he believes the PN has a chance of winning the election.
Abela, Labour and good governance
12.21pm Abela is asked about his questionable claim, made last month, that there was not a single instance of bad governance during his tenure.
He sidesteps the question and instead lists a series of rule of law reforms introduced since he has been PM.
All PL candidates must work to win over people’s trust, he says. “There were episodes, throughout the years, that disappointed people. I understand them and they are right. Mistakes happen, but integrity and correctness are cardinal principles.”
He’s asked clientelism. Malta’s parochial politics incentivise it, he acknowledges, and talks about electoral reform will have to keep that in mind.
“But the vast majority of people do not seek favours,” Abela says.
PL and PN transport proposals
12.13pm A question for Grech: images suggest the PN’s trackless tram proposal will take over bicycle lanes. How can it suggest this?
The PN leader says that is not the case. But the PN wants to incentivise people to leave their cars at home. In some places, he says, roads will need to be widened to add a dedicated tram lane. In other places, one of two lanes will be allocated to the tram.
A render of the PN's trackless tram proposal.Abela rebuts: people can decide between what global consultants Arup are saying (they’re the consultancy that drafted the Metro proposal) “and what (PN transport spokesperson) Toni Bezzina says.”
He acknowledges the high cost of the metro proposal (€6 billion+), though he notes that it can be built in stages.
The PM then says he's not happy with the way onsite inquiries following traffic accidents drag on for several hours. "It is not acceptable," he says. There was gridlock on Monday morning because of such an incident.
Father Christmas politics
12.03pm The two leaders are asked about the endless promises being made to the electorate. When can we expect some more realism from our political leaders?
Abela’s reply: Labour’s proposals are all costed and implementing its manifesto will cost €2.3 billion. The PN, he says, has yet to say just how much its pledges will cost taxpayers.
Government projections are for Malta’s GDP to top €20 billion (from just over €14 billion) by the end of the next legislature.
“It’s ambitious, but we will get there,” Abela says.
He is pushed about the government’s pledge to cushion energy price rises, and insists that doing so is essential to keep economic recovery ticking along.
Grech’s reply: To implement promises, the economy will need to grow. This is why the PN is pledging to invest €1 billion to develop 10 new economic sectors.
“We don’t consider these pledges to be expenditure. They are investment,” he says.
Regarding energy prices, Grech says the government is proving that it does not think beyond the short-term. He then mentions two PN proposals – offshore wind farming and a second interconnector – which also feature in the Labour equivalent.
Grech is pushed to say whether the PN will subsidise energy prices. He says that there is a “social obligation” for it to do so.
Leaders reach for talking points
11.53am There’s a bit of electioneering by both leaders at this point, with Abela accusing the PN of being the party of “austerity” and Grech saying the PN offers “realistic” policies aimed at “real people”.
Grech: forced unionisation is 'communist'
11.45am Bernard Grech has said that he does not agree with mandatory union membership. But, the moderator notes, the PN had called for just such a thing in its pre-budget document.
The PN leader implies that the party changed its mind following consultation. “We consult first,” he says. “And we will continue to consult.”
He likens mandatory union membership to a “communist mentality” and the “politics of oppression”.
Abela: Union membership plans 'will require dialogue'
11.40am The first question for Abela concerns Labour’s proposal to push for mandatory trade union membership. Employers, including the Malta Chamber, say that the plan is unconstitutional and should be removed.
Abela says it is something to be discussed with social partners within the MCESD.
“Dialogue will be crucial,” he says. Workers who do not want to join a union will not be forced to do so, Abela adds when pressed on the point.
The Labour manifesto does indeed say that the government will be “starting discussions with social partners” about the proposal. But it also notes that the Labour party “agrees with the principle of mandatory union membership”. (It’s proposal no.193 in the manifesto).
Grech: We will be insisting on ESG criteria
11.36am Grech notes that Abela did not mention the FATF greylist in his opening remarks. He says this is a crucial hurdle for Malta to overcome.
He then pivots to the PN’s ESG-focused pledges, saying many Malta Chamber members are already on that path and that the party will be determining what qualifies as ESG in consultation with stakeholders such as themselves.
Grech also reiterates the PN’s promise to ensure a level playing field for all business operators.
Abela: COVID wage supplement 'is a grant'
11.31am Abela emphasises that the COVID-19 wage supplement will not need to be paid back, shooting down something implied by the PN in the past days.
He then rattles off a series of Labour proposals that will be of interest to his Malta Chamber audience: from lowering the corporate tax rate to developing a credit review office, helping exporters, incentives for R&D spending and investing in industrial areas.
Side-by-side
11.29am Four minutes each for the two leaders to make their opening remarks. Abela is the first to speak.
Meanwhile, here’s a photo of the two leaders before they took the stage. We rarely see them so close to one another.
Grech and Abela seated next to each other before the start of Wednesday's debate. Photo: Jonathan BorgPortelli's appeal: take MCESD seriously
11.25am Malta Chamber CEO Marthese Portelli has made a direct appeal to both Abela and Grech to take social partners at the MCESD “seriously”.
Portelli says the law makes it clear that the government must seek advice from the MCESD – implying that it currently does not.
The MCESD needs to be free from all political influence and autonomous, she says, with social partners taking it in turns to nominate a rotating MCESD president. It also needs more resources, Portelli says.
Portelli has another bone to pick with parties: proposals that impact social partners should not be part of electoral manifestos without prior consultation, she says.
And with that, it's time for Abela and Grech to begin their debate.
Debate structure
11.17am Malta Chamber president Marisa Xuereb opens the debate with a brief address, and then it’s on to the main event.
The debate will be timed – both Abela and Grech will have to make their respective points in three minutes or less. And there will be time for the two politicians to answer questions from the audience.
Abela v Grech debate
11.12am Robert Abela and Bernard Grech will debate each other soon, at an event organised by the Malta Chamber.
We will provide English-language updates of the debate as it goes along, so stick around. And if you’d rather watch the event in the original Maltese, you can do so here.
Charmaine Gauci's reprimand to parties
11.06am We mentioned earlier that the two weights, two measures approach to COVID-19 rules and politicians continues to irk.
Charmaine Gauci touched on the issue during an episode of Times of Malta show Ask Charmaine earlier today, saying pandemic rules apply to "everyone" and need to be respected.
Parties 'spineless' when it comes to poachers
10.52am Birdlife Malta has accused both Labour and the PN of being "spineless" when it comes to cracking down on poachers - and predicted that the Ornis committee will this afternoon vote to remove a moratorium on Turtle-dove hunting during spring.
Meanwhile, CABS says it unearthed 21 illegal trapping sites in just one week.
Reminder: both parties have made it clear they want to protect spring hunting. Who cares what the ECJ thinks?
Read more about the BirdLife position here.
BirdLife Malta representatives outside Castille on Wednesday morning. Photo: Matthew MirabelliEmployers alarmed by Labour's union plans
10.14am The Labour Party has made it clear it's all for the GWU's plans to make union membership mandatory. And that's a problem for employers.
Three leading employers' associations - the MEA, Malta Chamber and Chamber of SMEs - have come out against the proposal this morning.
MEA director-general Joe Farrugia noted that union membership rates were dwindling all across the western world, while countries like China, Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia have enforced mandatory unionisation rules.
We'll link a full story about the event once it's available. You can watch the press conference in the video below.
Labour and pensions
9.52am Michael Falzon and Glenn Bedingfield are leading a Labour press conference focused on pensions.
There's a bit of a good cop/bad cop vibe to it, with Bedingfield trashing the PN's proposals (which, he said, have been in constant flux) and Falzon boasting of the PL's year-on-year pensions increases.
The event is still ongoing - you can watch it in the video below.
A different breed
9.31am The confusion and inconsistencies that have characterised COVID-19 rules continue to frustrate and irritate in equal measure.
Party agents will be allowed into the Naxxar counting hall if they have a negative COVID-19 test. Graduates, meanwhile, are only allowed to attend their own graduation ceremony if they have taken a vaccine booster.
Health authorities say gatherings should be avoided wherever possible. Labour and the PN are organising public gatherings every single evening, with larger rallies also included for good measure.
Independent candidate Arnold Cassola (districts 10 and 11) says it’s intolerable.
“This blatant discrimination against anyone not PN or PL is not only appalling. It is also further proof of the fact that rule of law has collapsed in our country and that the privileged PLPN elite can dictate to the medical authorities what health rules to adopt when it affects their parties,” he says.
District 5 candidates and Wied Żnuber
9.02am Moviment Graffitti is challenging district 5 candidates to say where they stand on plans to build a mini-airstrip in Wied Żnuber.
Times of Malta had revealed last month that there are plans to take up around seven football pitches worth of land in the rural area off Birżebbuġa to develop an airstrip for a model aircraft association. Residents want the plans scrapped and the area declared ODZ, to prevent any further development.
Graffitti has now challenged Labour, Nationalist and ADPD candidates in the district to say if they agree with the residents’ proposals.
Those district 5 candidates include heavy hitters like Robert Abela and Bernard Grech.
The main event
8.25am The main political event today will be a debate between the prime minister and the leader of the opposition, hosted by the Chamber of Commerce. That's at 11am. The audience is unlikely to be as rowdy as the University students during the first debate on Thursday.
Bird protection and the party manifestos
8.16am BirdLife Malta will kick off today's events with a press conference at 10am on bird protection and the way it is being featured in the main political parties’ electoral manifestos and electoral campaigns.
An illegal proposal
8.10am A Labour Party proposal to make trade union membership mandatory for all workers would be unlawful, lawyer and former European Commissioner Tonio Borg argues in an opinion piece in Times of Malta.
Meanwhile, former PN leader Adrian Delia calls for a change of the country's approach to education in another piece.
Wayne Flask argues that If you have to vote, don’t vote for thieves. Vote against the greed and bigotry of those who want to curtail your quality of life and your civil liberties.
You may also wish to take a look at yesterday's sobering article by Kevin James Fenech contrasting the parties' big-spending promises with their commitments to reduce tax. It's political alchemy, he rightly argues.
Good morning
8.05am - Good morning, It's just 10 days to polling day. Do you get the feeling that this has been the tamest electoral campaign ever? As usual, we will be covering events as they happen.