Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1124848
11 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 2 JUNE 2019 ma t h e p a r - t y a c t u - ally in- creased its tally f r o m 66% in 2013 to 70%. This result in- dicates that the much- feared abstention of anti-Delia PN voters did not materialise in Sliema. Neither did they shift allegiance to the PD, whose candidate failed to get elected. But the PN's improved result largely comes as a result of the absence of AD's Michael Brigug- lio (who stood as a PN MEP candidate) who had been elected for his fourth term in the council with 8% of the vote in 2013 then as an Altern- attiva Demokratika candidate. In fact, Labour has also in- creased its vote by a percentage point in Sliema while the PD garnered 4% of the vote. The pattern suggests that the PN is only managing to s t o p the haemorrhage in more afflu- ent localities that are probably more exposed to the independ- ent media, but is unable to com- municate its message outside this restricted constituency. One sure indication is that even in localities where third parties were present the vote shows no disgruntlement among any significant category of Labour voters. This raises the question whether the PL even has a pale- red category willing to lash out at government in mid-term elec- tions, especially in local elections where one would expect discon- tentment on environmental is- sues to surface. It is also possible that some in this category of Labour vot- ers did not vote. Possibly their abstention left no mark on the result because their impact was offset by an equal number of disgruntled PN voters who also stayed at home. In this way any message of dis- sent from these voters failed to reach its destination, being drowned out by the noise of La- bour's victory. Young, green and independently positive In an election which saw PD and AD failing to elect any can- didates, the election of inde- pendent candidate Steve Zammit Lupi in Haz Zebbug with 12% of the vote stood out. In this locality, the PN declined its share by 14 points while La- bour gained three points over 2015, which suggests that Lupi had little impact on Labour's performance but further weak- ened the PN. When his surplus was distrib- uted, 24% of it went to the AD candidate, 60% went to PN can- didates and only 17% went to PL candidates. Zammit Lupi also came across as a likeable char- ismatic figure, a political tra- jectory uncannily similar to that of the PD's Cami Ap- pelgren, who was the most successful third party can- didate in MEP elections, apart from Norman Lowell. Apart from appealing to a PN-leaning category of voters, both adopt a practical approach to en- vironmental issues, lead- ing by example. While Appelgren's name is associated with clean- ups, Zammit Lupi is associated with cycling and soft activism in fa- vour of tree protection and mobility issues. In an indication that he was not perceived as an 'anti-system can- didate' or a raspberry blown at the political class, none of his votes were non-transferable. This may help him build bridges with the other council members. One fac- tor behind his success is that Zammit Lupi looked smart, was not overtly antagonistic to the status quo while being in synch with popular concerns on overdevelopment and traffic congestion. But as a model for future third party politics this model may lack the deeper critique of the prevail- ing economic model, which, for example, characterised the rise of green parties in other European countries. Another crucial factor in Zam- mit Lupi's election was that un- like other third-party candidates he was not alien to the local com- munity, cherishing festa culture and expressing civic pride in the locality's landmarks, while still being perceived as 'alternative' vis-à-vis Malta's culture of car ownership. What's sure is that he was not simply the choice of a distant third party imposed on the locality, but someone who was visible in it. Moreover, he managed to get elected in a mid-size town which has a rural element and a strong hunting community, but also a considerable number of new ar- rivals. His kinship to Zebbug's last independent mayor, PD leader Godfrey Farrugia, may have also been a factor. For this rea- son it may well be the case that the word 'independent' carries a more positive connotation in this locality than in others. AD's failure to elect any of the nine candidates it presented sug- gests that the party is perceived as a spent force, which may need more than a rebranding exercise to be in a position to attract can- didates with strong roots in com- munities. Carmel Cacopardo's failure to get elected from St Julian's where he garnered just 151 first count votes (4%) despite the pressing environmental issues faced by the locality, is symptomatic of the party's failure to capitalise on a favourable climate. In Cacopardo's case, standing in a locality which is not even his hometown, probably banking on his national profile, may well have been counter-productive. If anything, Zammit Lupi's tri- umph shows the importance of strong community ties in local politics. The most devastating blow for AD was Ralph Cassar's close miss in Attard despite reaching the 6% mark, which was still his party's best shot in these elections. The veteran AD politician had pre- viously won this election three times and was the last standing Green councillor in the country. The lacklustre AD brand may have also weighed on the pros- pect of younger candidates who managed to surpass the 4% mark in Marsaskala, Naxxar and Mel- lieha. In Mellieha AD also left its mark on a close result nearly costing Labour its victory. Mel- lieha was one of the few locali- ties in which Labour actually lost support, losing 4 points, while the PN lost only half a point over 2013 figures. Yet curiously when Luke Caru- ana was eliminated with 250 (4.4%), the PN still got 40% of his inheritance while Labour only in- herited 27%. Caruana's result was above that gained in 2005 when AD's candidate garnered just 131 votes. In Birkirkara, where AD also faced competition from both the PD and the far-right, Anna Azzopardi held on to the penul- timate count after increasing her tally from 375 (3%) to a final 499, thanks to 32 votes inherited from Labour, 26 from the PN and 67 from the other parties. In Naxxar, the AD candidate inherited 95 votes from the PN but only 7 votes from Labour to increase his final tally to 443 votes. Yet this was not enough to get them elected. The PD failed to leave its mark, gaining only 555 votes in seven localities compared to AD's 2,000 votes in nine localities. The PD achieved its best results in Sliema (4%) and St Paul's Bay (3%), localities that were not con- tested by AD. NEWS support over years The new independent prototype? Lessons from the success of independent councillor for Haz Zebbug, Steve Zammit Lupi, opens a new window on the must-haves for prospective candidates: Greens and liberals must be in sync with quality of life issues but also engaged in soft activism, as Cami Appelgren of the PD showed, earning over 3,000 votes in the MEP elections for her clean-up visibility. 'Alternative' types are necessary but a smart look is important. Radical stands upsetting power and class structures might penalise them. They are more likely to make inroads with PN-leaning voters. They must be independent-minded, but also project a soft patriotism and civic spirit, cherishing festa culture (and if foreign, professing love for their adoptive country). of an implosion