Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1519725
3 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 28 APRIL 2024 EWROPEJ side-show: Pluralism or fragmentation? on the PN's half-dead corpse, eyeing their own pound of flesh. And yet so far, the only right- wing candidate to register in the polls is Norman Lowell, a self-professed "racialist", Hit- ler-sympathiser and denier of the Holocaust, who once called for "black coal" to be annihilated, a baggage that excludes him from sitting with any current group represented in the European Par- liament. Lowell's sheer name recogni- tion, with his brazen yet comical statements on racial supremacy and immigrant-bashing, has seen him amass more votes in each European election he contested since 2004. But there could be another soci- ological reason for Lowell's rela- tively modest success. Unlike his mainstream bedfellows, who seek to appeal to voters too tradition- al to experiment with third-party politics, Lowell appeals to young- er and more anti-establishment voters attracted by his eccentric streak. Although having lost his novelty, his 'prophet of doom' image finds followers lauding him for 'predicting' the rise in migratory influxes – even though his pet hate, black asylum seek- ers, are a tiny fraction of the pop- ulation. But for some voters, Lowell's Imperium Europa is the unadul- terated form of xenophobia: If white hate has a home, it's here, and not the imitation-crab ped- dled by religious conservatives. Indeed, Lowell's anti-clericalism (among his artwork is the fantas- tically named 'Raging Bull Sodo- mises Cloisterd Nun') makes it the ideal far-right parking space for xenophobic and disenchanted Labour voters. In this sense Edwin Vassallo and Norman Lowell stand on oppo- site poles in the right-wing con- stellation. And even though social conservatives may find Lowell outrightly repulsive, mainstream conservative voters are less likely to break with tradition to exper- iment with third-party politics. The promise of backing either of the mainstream parties is ob- taining some form of patronage. Indeed, there is something sur- real in listening to a PN stalwart like Edwin Vassallo now lashing against the two-party system af- ter having being part of that same hegemonic system for decades. Competing shrubs in the green ecosystem It would be unfair to lump the Greens and level-headed inde- pendents like Arnold Cassola in the same bestiary of Nazi apol- ogists, anti-vax and Soros con- spiracists and moral crusaders. But certainly, fragmentation is not limited to the conservative and far-right camp. For the second consecutive election, the Greens will be fac- ing competition from a former leader and perennial MEP can- didate: Arnold Cassola. The Greens themselves are fielding the highest number of candi- dates for the European elections ever: Party leader Sandra Gau- ci, who has cultivated a more populist, down to earth – albeit sometimes crass – approach; long-serving Ralph Cassar, Mina Jack Tolu, and Rachelle Deguara. Cassola may certainly have his- tory on his side, but his down- side is that he is running for the fifth consecutive time after coming so close to getting elect- ed 20 years back. He too has lost the power of novelty, even while being a tenacious yet spent force who defies the law of diminish- ing returns. As a more conserv- ative option to ADPD, Cassola appears more palatable to pale- blue voters who would generally fall in the engulfing tide com- manded by Roberta Metsola. Cassola will probably hope he could inherit a substantial num- ber of votes from the PN's front- runner. On the other hand, ADPD's best bet is to maximise support among more progressive and liberal voters, especially those hailing from a Labour back- ground. Still, people still find it hard to associate ADPD with a proposal or a particular idea which people actually talk about. For a party that was the first to push the boundaries on themes like divorce and same sex mar- riage in the past, political trac- tion now eludes them with so many of their proposals part of the political mainstream. Curiously, the party still strays away from the abortion issue – despite its pro-choice candidates – which could otherwise help ADPD position itself as a socially progressive force. Despite its left credentials, it still struggles to communicate with disenchant- ed Labour voters. The latter will always prefer parking in the ab- stentionist camp. Another minor competitor in the socially liberal ecosys- tem is Volt. Part of a pan-Eu- ropean franchise, it has been more forthcoming on issues like abortion. It's most likely impact on the election will be that of taking a small bite from the already restricted green vote. Unintentionally, comedian James Ryder's light-hearted and satirical candidacy could also take another perhaps even bigger bite from the green and liberal vote, simply because Ry- der is more likely to entertain a demographic of younger, ter- tiary-educated voters who tend to be more socially liberal and adventurous in their political choices. Certainly enough, 2024's po- litical side-show will be the race for the title of Malta's 'third largest party' – in 2019 it was Lowell's Imperium, a first for the far-right as it reaped the benefits of the fragmented lib- eral left. Five years on, the race remains wide open thanks to fragmen- tation in both camps. But while the prize is largely symbolic, the challenge posed by the far-right could well be seen as an invi- tation to progressive voters to coalesce behind the third party or independent candidate clos- est to their values who gain the most traction during the cam- paign. The articles hereunder form part of a content series called Ewropej. This is a multi-newsroom initiative part-funded by the European Parliament to bring the work of the EP closer to the citizens of Malta and keep them informed about matters that affect their daily lives. These articles reflect only the authors' views. The action was co-financed by the European Union in the frame of the European Parliament's grant programme in the field of communication. The European Parliament was not involved in its preparation and is, in no case, responsible for or bound by the information or opinions expressed in the context of this action. In accordance with applicable law, the authors, interviewed people, publishers or programme broadcasters are solely responsible. The European Parliament can also not be held liable for direct or indirect damage that may result from the implementation of the action. Clockwise from top left: ADPD candidates, Arnold Cassola, Edwin Vassallo, Norman Lowell, Ivan Grech Mintoff, James Ryder and Matthias Iannis Portelli