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Malta’s Local Council Elections: Will The Labour Party Deliver A Second Devastating Result In A Matter Of Days?

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With the European Elections taking all the limelight over the past few months, attention has now turned to today and Friday’s local council election counting.

PN Leader Adrian Delia is hanging by a thread after the Labour Party increased its majority in the EP elections, with sources already telling Lovin Malta that a leadership challenge may materialise should the party face a second landslide defeat in the space of a matter of days.

Reducing the margin, however, would most likely see Delia keep hold of his position for the forceable future.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat will be looking to build on last weekend’s result as he potentially eyes another confirmation of the nation’s faith in his government.

This year is also the first time all local council elections are taking place at the same time. One count will take place today, while a second will take place on Friday.

Here are some key things to look out for:

1. Who will benefit from the drop in turnout?

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According to the electoral commission’s approximations, around 60.4% of registered voters turned up to vote in the local council elections, down from the 67.6% recorded in 2015. The number seems all the more minimal when 72.6% of voters turned up to vote in the MEP elections on the very same day.

Local councils have consistently yielded low turnout, with only 59% of voters turning up in 2012’s election. However, the last time a national election ran concurrently with a local council election in 2013, the turnout was an impressive 83.3%.

Seven localities have recorded turnouts of less than 50% (Sliema, Swieqi, St Paul’s Bay, Gżira, Msida, Pembroke and St Julian’s), all of which have large foreign populations. There are around 80,331 EU nationals registered to vote in the local council elections, and this large number may be behind the drop.

However, it could also be worrisome for Delia that some of his party’s strongholds did not go to the polls. While St. Julian’s and S.t Paul’s Bay have had low turnouts in the past, Sliema’s has dropped by almost 20% when compared to the 57.3% turnout in 2013.

That being said, there may be an even more worrying figure for Muscat. Pembroke, a traditionally Labour stronghold in the 10th district, experienced a mammoth 50% drop when compared to 2013’s election.

2. The Labour Party has presented over 100 more candidates than the PN

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The Labour Party is seemingly preparing for an onslaught on local councils through sheer numerical advantage, presenting over 100 more candidates (399) than the PN’s 296.

The PL had alleged during the election that by failing to field enough candidates, the PN had already forfeited 21 of the 68 local councils across the archipelago. The same claims were laid against the PL, with the PN noting that the PL failed to produce enough candidates to win a majority in four of them.

On the issue, a PN spokesperson had told Lovin Malta that the government has “re-introduced a culture of centralisation, shifting powers from local councils to the central government. It is difficult to attract candidates to work as voluntary councillors if the local council’s power is limited to things like cleaning the streets and organising Jum il-Kunsill“.

All that remains to be seen is whether the PL’s strategy yields positive results, or whether the large field will simply cancel one another out.

3. Will Muscat’s visits to every single locality pay off?

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Placing himself at the forefront of the campaign as he had done with the MEPs, Muscat has certainly eyed the local council elections as a medium to assert his political dominance over all his rivals in just a matter of days.

The four-week campaign saw Muscat visit localities around Malta and Gozo over the last month to promote his candidates, even stopping at no less than seven on the last day of campaigning alone.

Each well-attended visit was shared live on Facebook, allowing the Labour Party to take advantage of their extensive social media presence to drown out the PN’s local council campaign

4. What about independent and third party candidates?

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Independent candidate Steve Zammit Lupi

While third parties and independent candidates have failed to sustain substantial challenges general and MEP elections, local councils have provided a fertile hunting ground.

Expect both the PD and AD to win some council seats, particularly in areas where overdevelopment and environmental issues are critical.

However, some independent candidates have a great chance. One notable example is Steve Zammit Lupi, who is contesting in Ħaż Żebbuġ after making a name for himself in the environmental sector.

Ħaż Żebbuġ itself is no stranger to electing independent candidates they believe in, with Godfrey Farrugia being elected as an independent mayor for the area way back in 1993, serving for seven years.

“I decided to throw my name in as an independent candidate because I truly believe that local councils should be a platform where civic pride and community belonging reign before party politics,” Zammit Lupi told Lovin Malta when announcing his candidature earlier this year.

Another independent candidate is PD Deputy Leader Timothy Alden, after his party forgot to list him in their candidate submission list.

What results are you expecting?

READ NEXT: This Is What Needs To Be Done To Radically Change Malta’s Local Councils

Julian is the former editor of Lovin Malta and has a particular interest in politics, the environment, social issues, and human interest stories.

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