The state of politics, such as it is in Malta and Gozo, leads a great chunk of the electorate not to vote in favour of one party or another but, rather, to vote against them.

While many proudly identify as either Nationalists or Labourites, there are many other people in the country who see themselves as Maltese and Gozitans, first and foremost. These people are open to voting for a different party than the traditional two. They recognise that there is more to life than red or blue. Often enough, however, the problem is that these people are afraid.

In this article, I argue that our electoral system, if used correctly, already offers voters the chance to safely vote for a third party, even though most think otherwise.

Given the chance of voting for a third party without there being any perceived risk, many people voted for the Democratic Party in 2017 as part of the Forza Nazzjonali coalition. As soon as people were offered an alternative, they opted for it and elected the country’s first third party MPs since before Independence.

In its years in parliament, the Democratic Party was able to punch well above its weight, often dictating the agenda iand holding both the government and Nationalist Opposition to account on issues of corruption. This at a time when corruption was proving an unpopular buzzword.

The loss by the Nationalists in the 2017 general election meant that the Nationalist Party then tried to focus on bread and butter issues, abandoning civil society and its allies in the Democratic Party (PD) to fight corruption alone.

Now is the time to turn over a new page for our country

When this policy caused a split in the Nationalist Party, and when corruption finally began to hurt Labour, then the tune was changed. However, PD used its time in parliament to fulfil its electoral promise – to be the watchdog in parliament and speak difficult truths.

The function of the third party in parliament is priceless at a time when corrupt businessmen have captured our institutions. The shocking revelations about Yorgen Fenech’s proximity to power, and the shocking stories of the “fourth floor” within the Labour Party, have taught us of the weaknesses of our institutions and just how broken our political system really is.

Unfortunately, in its many years in government, the Nationalist Party did not embark on the crucial reforms needed, and instead depended on people of goodwill being in power. Its own connections to db Group remain questionable.

Nonetheless, I welcome the Nationalist Party’s recent acceptance of policies which the Democratic Party has been pushing for years, such as party financing reform and the abolishment of political party TV stations.

The value of the third party is beyond question, but re-electing a third party is very achievable thanks to Malta’s single transferable vote system. If people just gave their first preferences to third party candidates and only then continued down the list to one of the two main parties, then they would be giving third parties a fair shot, without wasting votes.

Elections are no longer as tight as they used to be, and thus it is safer than ever before to vote on principle rather than out of fear. It is essential for the health of Malta and Gozo’s democratic system that the duopoly is broken so that fresh blood and new ideas can be injected into the system.

Let the people who put principles first have a shot rather than career politicians riding the gravy train in the two party system. Now is the time to turn over a new page for our country.

Timothy Alden is acting leader of the Democratic Party.