Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1522936
10 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 23 JUNE 2024 ANALYSIS Has Gozo turned its back The Nationalist Party posted gains in local elections across Gozo that gave it an absolute majority on the island for the first time in seven years. KURT SANSONE tries to understand whether this is the beginning of a shift back to blue or Gozitan voters giving Labour a temporary cold shoulder. THE Nationalist Party's domi- nance in Gozo was undisputed in every general election until 2017 when the Labour Party won an absolute majority for the first time. It was a watershed moment that saw the PL clinch 51.2% of the vote against the PN's 47.9%. But that result had long been coming. Indeed, after the 2003 general election when the PN reached a high point of 58.8%, the party started experiencing a gradual decline. A decade later, the PN saw its share of the vote in Gozo drop to 50.1% as the PL under Joseph Muscat climbed to 49.1%. The tide turned in Labour's favour five years later and was reconfirmed in the 2022 general election when the PL strength- ened its lead to 53.5%, while the PN experienced its lowest ever result at 43.9%. Roll forward two years and results for the European Parlia- ment and local elections suggest the PN has managed to stop the haemorrhage and turn the tide. The question now is whether the PN's gains are permanent or just a temporary blip. A breakdown of results by electoral districts shows that in the local elections the PN ob- tained 1,127 votes more than the PL, while in the MEP elec- tion it secured 502 votes more than its rival. Although the numbers give the PN cause for hope, people close to the party in Gozo are cautious. The general election is still three years away and until then a lot can happen, according to a PN functionary, who was grant- ed anonymity like others in this report, to be able to speak freely about internal matters. "There are several factors that can explain the result obtained on 8 June and while some of these will still be in place in the run-up to the general election, others are of a local nature and may not be relevant in a general election," they said. The Alex Borg phenomenon The PN's biggest asset in Gozo is undoubtedly Alex Borg. He contested his first election in 2022, obtaining a whopping 6,108 votes, placing second to Gozo Minister Clint Camilleri in the overall ranking on the district. "Alex not only inherited the political network of former PN minister Giovanna Debono, who remains a popular figure on the island, but he is also well-liked by everyone, even Labour sympathisers," the same source said. And although Borg's name was not on the ballot sheet on 8 June, a second source said he worked very hard to find local council candidates. And in a community like Gozo where cli- entalism thrives it is not an easy feat, the source added, to find candidates to stand for a party that is on the losing side and thus unable to fulfil demands. "But Alex's personality helped the PN present a strong can- didature and for two whole months he accompanied local candidates on house visits in a concerted effort to bring out the vote," the source said. The efforts appear to have paid off. The PN managed to in- crease its vote in all Gozitan lo- calities apart from Kerċem and Għasri. The party saw its over- all local council vote increase by 1,891 over the 2019 results whereas the PL remained static with an overall loss of 86 votes. But another Gozitan PN func- tionary told MaltaToday the party was more united this time around. With Borg having per- formed so well in the last gen- eral election, the source said, veteran PN MP Chris Said took a step back. "The rivalry that risked upset- ting the applecart was set aside and the PN was more effective this time around," they added. "We cannot know what happens in a general election but the PN has definitely gelled more." Whether the PL's internal warfare will have an impact in a general election still has to be seen but the council results did bring out the stark difference between the PN's tight ship and the PL's vessel, which is taking in water