Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1530962
13 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 29 DECEMBER 2024 2025 LOOKING FORWARD es across these fronts are not made as, ultimately, aspiring to be a political player at a na- tional level requires resources, time, expertise and capacity building, which are factors that could overwhelm an individu- al or a small organisation, and thereby limiting the reach of those contenders. The third-party challenge A great challenge of any 'third party' contender will be how effective they will be in be- coming a solid presence in the Maltese political landscape. This will depend on the airtime they are given, their good use of discussion fora, being able to articulate their positions effectively, reaching commu- nities and having the tact and the stamina to maintain the momentum. Moreover, AD- PD and Il-Kollettiv have been strongly arguing in favour of electoral reform that secures proportional representation in order to create a fairer political system. The President's speech on Republic Day echoed a sim- ilar sentiment when she called for better correlation between first count votes and seats in Parliament. Perhaps this could be a (re-)start of the call for a constitutional reform process, which was attempted by the previous President, George Vella, but on which no pro- gress was made since, as he had said, there was no agreement on who would lead this consti- tutional convention. Forcing Abela's hand The Maltese political climate is certainly not an easy one to intervene in. Seeing the emo- tions and tension that the re- turn of Joseph Muscat in the headlines brought throughout this year, it remains clear that the contemporary political dis- course is still haunted by the spectres of the Muscat era. Leadership within the Labour Party throughout this year had to contend with people loyal to Muscat, forcing Prime Minister Robert Abela's hand in various ways, not least the ambivalent embrace of Muscat back in the fold, being used by Labour as a risky 'wild card' to invigorate Laborites to vote and endorse a number of candidates. With a series of boxing and tsunami metaphors, Muscat's presence felt like a blast from the recent past that hijacked people's attention and the headlines. Further cracks appeared in Abela's leadership when it came to his U-turns with re- gard to the Jean Paul Sofia pub- lic inquiry and his decision on the resignation of former min- ister Clayton Bartolo. PN benefits if PL loses votes It is also not clear how and whether the PN in opposition is capitalising from the cracks that emerged within Labour throughout 2024. Among the PN's greatest moments this year were Roberta Metsola's powerful EP election result, being the most popular can- didate, and her re-election as President of the European Par- liament. However, it is unclear how and whether 'the Metsola effect' is trickling down to strengthen the PN's performance at the national level. Also, with the exception of the hospitals saga, it seems that the most forceful opposition keeps coming from civil society organisations and individuals rather than the PN. The bad trust ratings that Op- position leader Bernard Grech keeps getting survey after sur- vey makes it seem like the only way in which the PN could be a government in waiting is only if Labour manages to keep losing votes. The PN further undermines its credibility on issues such as the environment, as evidenced by its handling of the Villa Rosa local plan change and its vote on the Fort Chambray develop- ment application. will it be enough? Kurt Borg lectures in policy, politics and governance at the University of Malta The bad trust ratings that Opposition leader Bernard Grech keeps getting survey after survey makes it seem like the only way in which the PN could be a government in waiting is only if Labour manages to keep losing votes