Election Playbook: Rallying ‘round the party flags

Mind the gap: MaltaToday's first survey of the election campaign indicates that Labour could win the election with a 52.5% majority, as support for the Nationalist Party stands at almost 45%. It appears that an election held tomorrow would see a low voter turnout of 84%. New voters are particularly skeptical of the two party leaders - a whopping 76.1% of new voters said they trust neither Robert Abela nor Bernard Grech.

A manifesto worth 1,000 proposals: Robert Abela told supporters on Sunday that the Labour Party's election manifesto will feature 1,000 proposals. These proposals are the fruit of the party's 100 Idea consultation process, a project based on 10 Policy Forums with the aim of creating a space for dialogue and change across sectors.

A farmer's life for me: Bernard Grech told his own supporters on Sunday that he would like to incentivise young people and encourage them to take up farming. He said he was regularly meeting with farmers from before the election was called to make sure their needs are understood by the party.

Wearing out the hero's welcome: Over the weekend Joseph Muscat made a few appearances for Labour Party candidates, having endorsed Glenn Bedingfield, Keith Azzopardi Tanti, Deo Debattista and Chris Agius. He told journalists his job is to be with the people instead of in rallies. In reality, it's neither - his work endeavours as of recent seems to have been using his business connections from his tenure as prime minister for lucrative consultancy arrangements. His job is not with the people or with rallies, it's with the revolving door of politics and big business.

You lose some, then you lose some more: Għasri mayor Daniel Attard quietly resigned from the Nationalist Party on Sunday evening, and will instead work as an independent mayor for the people of the Gozo locality. He posted a photo of his concise resignation letter to Facebook, refraining to mention the reasons for his stepping-down. However, people have pointed out that just a day earlier he posted a photo welcoming Robert Abela into the locality. To add insult to injury, this comes almost a week after four Nationalist MPs withdrew their candidature for the election - it's worth noting that they haven't resigned from the party.

Special deliveries: Police will start delivering voting documents as from today. They will be distributing the documents everyday between 8am and 1pm, and 3pm and 9pm, up until Friday 11th March. All voting documents will be delivered only to the address where the voter is registered. Make sure to keep the voting document in a safe place, as no one will be allowed to vote without it on polling day.

What's happening today?: Apart from the usual morning pressers, the Labour Party will be in Birkirkara (6:30pm) for a political activity. The Nationalist Party will be in Paola (6pm). Arnold Cassola will be giving a live interview on Lovin Malta (5:30pm). This space will be updated as more events are announced.