Here’s What Small Political Parties In Malta Have Done In Week One Of Their Election Campaign
This week has been quite memorable to say the least: announcements of the 2022 general election, war breaking out in Ukraine, protests in solidarity with the Ukrainian people and the list goes on.
Whilst Malta’s major political parties have been announcing different proposals in a non-stop manner, the smaller political parties like ADPD and Volt are yet to cover as much ground.
ADPD are not newcomers to the Maltese political scene but this will be the first election it will be contesting since the party was reformed in 2020 following a merge between Alternattiva Demokratika and Partit Demokratiku. For the pan-European party, Volt, this will be the first election that it will contest on Maltese soil.
If you feel like you have missed out on anything the smaller political parties have done in the past week, here’s a concise list.
Volt Malta
18th February – Launches campaign slogan and announces a single candidate
The self-proclaimed progressive political party launched its new political party slogan for the forthcoming election “Ivvota Aħjar. Ivvota Volt”.
Volt said that the slogan is aimed at “encouraging people to vote in line with their personal values, to scrutinise candidates and consider all options”.
The party also announced that its Vice President, Thomas “Kass” Mallia will be running for election in Districts 10 and 11, the only Volt Malta candidate to contest the election.
24th February – Proposes links to North America, an IPO of Air Malta and a Diaspora Pass
Volt released a number of proposals including direct flights to North America to influence foreign direct investment into Malta’s economy and attract new sources of tourism.
The party also claimed that the introduction of a Diaspora Pass would be worth introducing to attract more tourists with Maltese ancestry. This pass would give discounts, free access to museums and public transport.
It also proposed a partial IPO on Air Malta to increase the airline’s capital and to encourage the shareholders to hold the administration accountable for their mismanagement of the airline.
ADPD
21st February – Announces all candidates
ADPD released the names of all its candidates running in Malta’s electoral districts. The party will have a maximum of three candidates per district.
23rd February – Reaction to Labour’s decision on the Marsaskala yacht marina and Nationalist Party’s promise to continue plans for a Gozo tunnel project
One of ADPD’s candidates, Brian Decelis, said that the Labour Party government’s move to scrap plans for a yacht marina in Marsaskala were its “latest purely propaganda exercise”.
ADPD chairperson and candidate Carmel Cacopardo also said that the decision should only be considered a vote-catching exercise.
The party also bashed the Nationalist Party leader’s promise to continue “Minister Ian Borg’s and Prime Minister’s Robert Abela white elephant Gozo tunnel project”.
24th February – Calls for the immediate suspension of the passport-selling scheme
“The programme poses a risk to our collective European security. It is not possible to know who is trying to take advantage of the terms of the scheme in order to put Europe at risk”.
Following the increasing aggression of the Russian military in Ukraine and increasing tension across Europe, ADPD called for the immediate suspension of the controversial passport-selling scheme.
26th February – Calls for the Constitution to give individuals the right to push for environmental action
ADPD are calling for constitutional amendments to be made so that the declaration of environmental principles within it grants citizens the right to sue the government when it fails to take action in regards to issues of environmental concern.
Would you consider voting for a smaller political party?
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