Liberals and progressives watched in horror as PN Leader Adrian Delia and challenger Bernard Grech showed the party very-much remained the conservative option for Maltese voters.

In separate interviews on Xarabank’s first-ever online episode aired on Lovin Malta, Grech and Delia made it clear that they were opposed to abortion, euthanasia, and recreational marijuana.

Delia and Grech only went their separate ways when it came to prostitution. Delia was adamant that the practice was ”immoral” and reduced “women into products”, insisting that any of if MPs were caught in the sexual transaction they would resign “due to their own principles”.

Grech, on the other hand, said a consensual act in someone’s personal life should not merit resignations. He called for a mature discussion on the topic.

“We cannot be bigots anymore and just close an eye to something that is clearly happening on our shores,” he said. 

When it came to abortion, both said that they were vociferously against the medical procedure. However, it was only Delia who said he would fight tooth and nail against the practice even if a referendum backed its introduction.

Delia insisted that the topic was a non-starter, but Grech hinted that he would respect popular democratic vote despite his personal opinion. 

The sanctity of human life is apparent in both men, who even said they were against euthanasia. 

“We must protect people from life to even death. Everyone deserves dignity,” Grech said. 

Recreational marijuana brought similar reactions. While Grech said that it was essential to listen and discuss these issues, bodies like Caritas made it clear that it was drug abuse. The same was echoed by Delia, who said smoking marijuana was a dependency and a getaway to harder drugs.”

Malta has undergone a liberal transformation under the Labour administration and has enamoured younger generations because of it. In the space of a decade, Malta went from a country which banned divorce to becoming a world leader in civil rights. 

In a world where centrist economic policies leave little distinction between the two parties, it seems that social issues are where they differ.