Labour ahead by 27,000 votes but high abstention rate expected

Mar 6 2022

According to the latest electoral campaign survey by MaltaToday, the Labour Party has ended the second week of its race with 53.4% of support, a nine point lead over the Nationalist Party.

The Opposition Party’s backing by voters ranks at 44.4%, whereas third parties are collectively gearing up at 2.2% of vote support.

The numbers are showing a gap of 27,265 votes between the two major political parties. This is already higher than last Sunday’s gap of 22,645 but still not as close as the 2017 election’s 35,000 gap.

The survey’s results are based on the expected share of valid votes which equates to around 85.7% of eligible voters. This is not the turnout figure itself but a basis upon which an election is determined as it focuses on valid votes cast.

The 2017 election had a turnout of 92.1% but the share of valid votes stood at around 90.9%. According to MaltaToday, 2022’s general election could have a higher abstention rate which is impacting the Labour Party more than the Opposition.

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Robert Abela expected to unveil Labour manifesto next Friday 11th

Mar 6 2022

As the annual general meeting gets a set date for next Friday the 11th of March, opening bookings for supporters to attend, the Prime Minister is being expected to release the long-awaited PL 2022 manifest.

The Labour Party still went on to announce several new proposals and make several pledges during rallies and mass meetings, despite the fact that their manifest was not yet either publicly released or completely ready.

The manifest has been a long-time coming, with even the Nationalist Party taking jabs at the fact that, despite calling a snap election, they were not ready with a polished electoral manifesto.

This comes as the Nationalist Party released the manifest in the first week of the campaign, but was later found to contain several technical mistakes. Opposition Leader Bernard Grech went on to address the mistakes, saying that the party was never closed off to admitting these issues and that they have nothing to hide.

Robert Abela, on his part, continuously emphasised that there are lots of proposals he is yet to announce, with a manifest expected to contain 1000 proposals, something supporters have been very keen on.

The general conference of the Labour party is expected to take place in Dar il-Mediterran in Valletta at 19:00 next Friday.

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Valletta FC’s new kit in support of Ukraine is up for sale to raise funds

Mar 6 2022

As the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues, Valletta FC launched an initiative aimed to support the people of the war-torn country.

On Saturday, the Valletta FC team sported brand new blue and yellow kits, designed exclusive for this initiative and for their Premier League match against Mosta FC.

The initiative allegedly kicked off after the Valletta FC Media department, which is captained by Matthew Carbonaro, uploaded a new club logo which showed the team’s logo inscribed over the Ukrainian flag.

From there, Valletta FC president Alexander Fenech, team manager Gerard Ellul, kit manager Kurt Celeste and the rest of the media department worked to create this project which aims to raise awareness about the ongoing war.

Supplied by Puma, the kit features the words ‘Peace not War’ on the front of the shirt, which is now set to be placed on sale to raise more funds for the refugees fleeing Ukraine. The proceeds will be going to help all those fleeing their homes, as well as an assortment of necessary medicines.

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Photo Source: Valletta FC FB

PN candidate Emma Portelli Bonnici signs last nomination for ADPD candidate

Mar 6 2022

Setting politics aside, PN candidate Emma Portelli Bonnici went on to sign the nomination for an ADPD candidate and friend, Mina Jack Tolu, as they needed the remaining nominee.

For one to participate in the general election, a prospective candidate must have four nominations by persons from the district they are contesting in to be able to be part of the electoral race.

Mina Jack Tolu, an ADPD candidate and trans-rights activist, was one nominee short from the 10th district they wished to contest in. Following a friendly photo together at the Electoral Commission, Bonnici went on to sign their candidate nomination form.

Posting to her instagram story, Bonnici said that it was ‘an absolute no-brainer to sign their candidate nomination form, regardless of the fact that they’re running on a different party’s ticket.’

‘The main reason I became a candidate at all was because I did not like the way politics is conducted in Malta, and dialogue and communication between all of us has never been more important than at this juncture in our history’ said the PN candidate.

Tolu went on to thank Bonnici on their instagram as well, saying that despite a PN candidate signing their nomination is a small gesture, ‘in our country, where people are scared to associate with politics because of the tribalism, it is an important one.’

‘This is the future Maltese politics can have. One where dialogue is central to our discussions. Keep this in mind when voting in March. It’s time for a new approach’ concluded Tolu.

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Photo Source: Emma Portelli Bonnici FB, Mina Tolu FB