Following the PN’s electoral disaster, Bernard Grech has been stressing the need for the party to change its attitude, just as his predecessor Adrian Delia had done in 2017.

Expect him to insist on this approach, at least at the start of the legislature, with one of the first signals set to be a different approach to the questioning of Konrad Mizzi at the Public Accounts Committee – one less focused on calling him out and more intent on obtaining actual information about the ElectroGas contract.

Part of this is strategic; many in the PN certainly believe that going too hard and personal against their political opponents has actually proven to be a vote-loser among the electorate, particularly when the PL has crafted such a powerful political message that people in the PN “feel they have a divine right to be in power”.

But part of it is also personal. The vast majority of the PN’s new parliamentary group has never been in power and many don’t know anything but a PL government for most of their adult life.

2. PL MPs will be eager to impress and find a way into Cabinet 

Prime Minister Robert Abela has proven himself to be ruthless with his Cabinet, not afraid to wield the axe when necessary, even among certain ministers who are popular among their constituents.

This will come as potential good news to all the PL MPs who were left out of Cabinet, from those like Edward Zammit Lewis and Carmelo Abela who are looking for a way back in to the newcomers who would love to prove their worth.

Expect them to use their time in Parliament to try and prove their worth to Abela, even if it means being openly critical of some aspects of the government, putting forward proposals that the PL has not officially endorsed itself and perhaps some more sneaky manoeuvres.

After all, the PL is so far ahead of the PN that it can afford some disagreement and criticism without fearing that these moves will end up catapulting the Opposition into government.

No PL MP will want to gain a reputation as a rebel but neither will they want to come this far just to spend five years as a wallflower either.

3. All MPs must work much harder to stand out

Although Parliament has increased its politician-count to 79 MPs, the media and the public still have the same amount of time to focus on what they’re saying as they did prior to the election.

What this means is that competition among MPs for eyeballs has increased and that they must all up their game if their work in Parliament is to generate interest.

Expect quite a few MPs to step on each other’s footsteps, particularly when it comes to district-related issues, with MPs determined to prove to their constituents that they were the person who created a certain positive change in their lives.

One example, of PN MPs Ivan Castillo and Graziella Galea both taking some credit for the government’s pledge to finally open a currently unused carpark in Qawra, will be followed by many more. 

Some MPs will also actively push the envelope on issues, like PL MP Rosianne Cutajar did when she called for a register for domestic violence abusers, or on politics, like PN MP Eve Borg Bonello did when she called Putin a “war criminal”.

4. Women elected via gender quota will make a name for themselves

No MPs will be more determined to work than the 12 women who were elected via gender quota last March. With people acutely aware of how they entered Parliament, these MPs are starting their political journey with an immediate mental disadvantage, and only by particular hard work can they catch up with their peers in the eyes of the electorate.

As the first cohort of women elected via gender quota, they will also be a live test of the system itself, on whether having more women in Parliament is actually a net positive.

5. MPs’ speeches will be curated for the new media landscape 

MPs’ maiden speeches have been shorter than usual, closer to 10 minutes, and this could very well become a habit over the next five years.

With so much global content vying for everyone’s attention nowadays, it’s honestly head-scratching to understand why MPs think anyone would even want to listen to a 30-minute speech which is three-quarters fluff anyway, let alone four or five very similar speeches right after each other.

Over 80,000 people watched a TikTok video of PN MP Darren Carabott using a Big Mac to explain Malta’s inflation problem, showing that people are interested in politicians talking about politics if they discuss it in a digestible manner.

Expect more MPs to realise this changing dynamic and focus their parliamentary speeches more on delivering powerful and punchy clips that they can then share to TikTok rather than running down the clock.

Are you optimistic about Parliament’s prospects over the next legislature?