Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1544021
NEITHER of the major political parties have been able to secure star candidates in their line-up for the forthcoming general elec- tion yet, MaltaToday has learnt. While both parties remain se- cretive about the final list of can- didates as the general election looms closer, both the Nation- alist Party (PN) and the Labour Party (PL) have so far failed to confirm names with gravitas. Sources close to the PN ex- plained how the party was bank- ing on securing former Malta Chamber President Marisa Xuereb to counter-balance La- bour's Clyde Caruana. Xuereb appeared at the national con- vention organised by the PN last month, giving rise to speculation she would be standing as a can- didate. "Marisa Xuereb would have been good in so many ways. She has integrity, clarity and would be the best match for Clyde Caruana. Finances remain one of our weakest shadow portfolios," a senior PN official told MaltaToday. Despite being approached by the party and appearing at the convention, Xuereb is still unde- cided on whether to stand or not citing personal considerations. Asked about the prospect of removing Adrian Delia from this post the of- ficial said: "We will cross the bridge when we come to it." Xuereb's decision to stand would boost the PN's perception with voters who still consider its chances of winning in the next general election as slim. YOUR RIGHT TO KNOW WWW.MALTATODAY.COM.MT SUNDAY 22 MARCH 2026 • ISSUE 1377 • PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY Realties of foster care maltatoday The manosphere Ethics rules Changes to parliamentary ethics rules are on the horizon KARL AZZOPARDI kazzopardi@mediatoday.com.mt €2.20 PAGES 14-15 FWS director talks about children and alternative care and what needs improvement As technology grows, misogynistic and anti-feminist content online has surged INTERVIEW MT2 Major parties struggle to secure star candidates CONTINUES PAGE 6 PAGES 16-17 A 2am call and the search for a foster family A call comes in at 2am. A tod- dler needs an urgent placement by morning. It is not a rare oc- currence, according to Remenda Grech, the director overseeing Malta's alternative care system. Indeed, "it's part of the job", she says. Grech is director for alternative care at the Foundation for Social Welfare Services, a government agency. Interviewed by MaltaToday, she says that despite foster care ac- counting for the majority of child placements, the system always needs more families. "The need is always there. It is never enough," she says. "Sometimes, we get an emergency call at 2am and we need to find a placement for a two- year-old, or a three-year-old." Children are removed from their families for a range of reasons, in- cluding neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse, and parental sub- stance misuse. "It is rarely just one factor," Grech says. JULIANA ZAMMIT jzammit@mediatoday.com.mt Manoel Island saga comes to an end Manoel Island saga comes to an end SEE STORY: PAGES 10-11 CONTINUES PAGE 7 Photo: James Bianchi/MaltaToday