What happened in previous elections?

Almost 70% of people voted for the Labour Party in 2017, securing four seats in the process. The district has consistently voted in a red majority; however the gap has continued to grow over the last few elections. 

There was a time when PN would regularly secure at least two seats in the district, the last time being in 2008 before Joseph Muscat became party leader. 

The loss of three MPs opens up the door for fresh faces

The Labour Party is pulling out all the stops to secure its four 3rd District seats beyond 2022. It has dealt with major losses during this legislature after Helena Dalli’s appointment to the European Commission and Silvio Grixti’s scandalous resignation. 

Between them there are almost 4,200 first count votes up for grabs. It means the race is wide open and there will be countless candidates looking to make their mark. 

Jean Claude Micallef, who replaced Dalli as an MP, will be the likely recipient of her votes. However, many others will be hoping for an upset. 

Andy Ellul, an MP who was co-opted into parliament by Abela to replace Grixti, is running on the district, as is Alicia Bugeja Said, a young technocrat with a wealth of experience in the environmental fields. Both will be hoping they can eat up those votes. 

Controversial architect Audrey Demicoli is also in the running, having hit the news after offering free private lessons to students of voters in her district. 

The presence of Minister Owen Bonnici does present a significant challenge to unestablished candidates.

While he did not get elected off the district in 2017, he was mighty close to doing so. He almost missed out entirely on even getting elected in 2017, having been the fifth elected candidate on the 5th District. 

Bonnici will not be wanting a repeat this time around and getting elected off two districts will send a real statement of intent beyond 2022. If that’s the case, it remains to be seen which seat he will vacate.

Of course, Deputy Prime Minister Chris Fearne and OPM Minister Carmelo Abela will also play their part. Both men will most likely get elected first, and their preferences votes could be all the difference in this very tight race. 

For the PN, the situation is a little bit more complicated.

The loss of Mario Galea means that there are 1,700 first count votes available for the taking, but the current field of candidates leaves little belief that the struggling opposition will get more than a single seat. 

Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici looks the most likely to get it after serving in parliament since 1998. However, his popularity has been waning from election to election, particularly after a vote of no confidence ousted him from Cabinet in 2012. 

In 2017, he was not even elected to parliament, becoming an MP by grace of co-option through the corrective mechanism. 

Stephen Spiteri could be the one to capitalise, but he will likely give up his seat on the district in favour of the 2nd District, where he enjoys massive popularity. 

John Baptist Camilleri, Errol Cutajar, and Janice Chetcuti all ran in 2017, and will be hoping that they can build on their performance this time around. In terms of new candidates, Mary Muscat and Leone Sciberras also stand a chance with preference votes likely to play a major part in the outcome. 

What are the key district issues likely to influence the vote?

The government announced plans to scrap a controversial marina in Marsaskala in the lead up to the general election. However, residents of the area, who led a protest movement against the proposal, will not easily forget the debacle and even warned candidates that they will not vote for them if they were in favour of the proposal. 

It could have potentially seen the PN steal two seats, but that looks unlikely now that key figures like Fearne and Bonnici have come out against the project. The decision to scrap AUM’s acquisition of Zonqor Point will also score some points, but there will be many who won’t forget how many PL figures were once in favour of the plans. 

While it might not be enough to sway voters to switch, particularly with a lack of options on the PN side, it might play a major part in which PL candidates are elected. 

Marsaxlokk has also been subject to controversial development, particularly with the presence of the LNG tanker in the locality’s bay.

The areas also have some crucial Maltese trades at its core, counting strong agricultural and aquacultural communities – both of which will have an impact on how people vote in the area. 

Who will come out on top this time around?

All indications point to the Labour Party keeping its four-seat majority with Fearne and Abela most likely guaranteed two of the available seats. Micallef, Bonnici and Ellul will likely battle it out for the remaining two, while the rest of the candidates will be hoping Fearne and/or Bonnici will vacate their seats and open up the battle for a casual election. 

When it comes to the PN, the race is wide open and an upset is certainly on the cards with Mifsud Bonnici walking on a tight rope. 

If you’re from the 3rd District and what to share your views on your district election, please reach out to [email protected].

Who do you think will win?