Top Labour officials met on Tuesday to discuss organising an event later this month that is normally held once an election is announced.

Officials met in the evening at the Labour Party’s Ħamrun headquarters to discuss logistical arrangements for what is known as a party congress.

According to the PL’s statute, a party congress is called in the lead-up to a general election and sees party delegates and paid-up party members vote to formally approve election candidates and the party’s electoral manifesto.

Senior Labour Party sources said the meeting discussed the possibility of holding the congress event as soon as Sunday, February 20.

Insiders said that if the election team were to green light holding the event on that date, that could mean a general election is soon on the cards.

According to Maltese law, Prime Minister Robert Abela can call a general election whenever he wishes but there is a minimum of 33 days between parliament’s dissolution and voting day that must be respected. 

Electoral anticipation mounts 

Speculation over when Abela will blow the whistle for the general election has now reached fever pitch.

Abela held Labour’s first major political event in months on Sunday, speaking to the party faithful in Mqabba.

Many in Labour listened across to Abela’s speech in anticipation of a possible election announcement. 

However, they were left wanting with the Labour leader instead announcing he would be contesting the general election on the fifth district, a Labour stronghold which includes Birżebbuġa, Kirkop, Mqabba, Ħal Farruġ, Luqa, Qrendi, Safi, and Żurrieq. 

Abela followed that event up by heading to a street market in the three cities on Monday, in another move that is being viewed by insiders as pre-electoral campaigning. 

He is set to address Labour supporters again on Sunday, this time in Tarxien.

Sources in the party said Abela’s election strategy team recently received a shipment of electoral propaganda billboards. The party have used overseas suppliers for the first shipment to avoid possible leaks. 

If Abela were to call an election in the coming days, then the two options available would be March 19 or March 26. 

The following month is far less likely as a planned visit by Pope Francis and the Easter holidays will clash with political campaigning.

The prime minister has other options before him, including a possible election in May, or going the distance and having a vote in June.

Ultimately, the decision rests solely with him.