Election Playbook: Wheeling and property dealing

MaltaToday launches first-ever daily poll tracker: For the first time in its polling history, MaltaToday will provide daily survey updates throughout the election campaign. We will be updating the numbers every morning at 8:30am to reflect the previous day’s polling. By the end of the campaign, we would have polled more than 1,500 people. 

Volt doubles its candidates (from one to two): The new third party on the block announced that it will be fielding a second candidate for the upcoming election, namely the party’s co-president Alexia DeBono. The party is running under the tongue-twisting slogan ‘Vote Better, Vote Volt’, and Debono will contest on the eighth and ninth districts. Like other young political hopefuls, she gained her first exposure to politics through Euroscola. Nothing exposes you to local politics like a funded school trip to Strasbourg. 

Wheeling and property dealing: Robert Abela has been stubbornly resistant to questions on his role in a property deal with the boss of a Rabat abduction gang. During a press conference on Monday morning he refused to engage with journalists on his middleman role in the land deal, insisting instead that it remains “spin and only spin”. 

People come, people go: Bernard Grech was largely unfazed by Daniel Attard’s resignation from the PN. He specified that he never had a problem with Attard, and had even spoken to him six days ago. “People come and go,” he said, but there seems to be a lot of ‘going’ from the PN’s side. 

Franco and earnest: Franco Debono ruled out a Nationalist Party candidature for the 26 March general election, but did not exclude more active participation in the future. Debono became a pariah within the PN after he brought down the Gonzi government in 2012 when he voted against the budget over differences with the party. However, speculation was rife over the past week that Debono may be tempted to contest the coming election with the PN. 

Throwback: Franco Debono votes against budget | Gonzi: 'Franco Debono is a closed chapter, he is irrelevant' 

Teleshopping with Carmel Cacopardo: One would be forgiven for mistaking Monday morning’s TVAM interview with Carmel Cacopardo for a teleshopping feature with Mario Morales. During the interview Cacopardo brought out a bright green duster to explain his party’s slogan ‘Green Sweeps Clean’, or ‘Xkupa Ħadra Tnaddaf’. He said parliament should be obliged to do the same cleaning as this duster – this only corroborates our thesis from the second Election Playbook where we dub Cacopardo Malta’s own Mr Clean. 

What about proposals?: The Labour Party will hand parents €1,500 over three years if their children continue to study beyond the age of 16. For the Nationalist Party, companies that are compliant with specific environmental, social and good governance criteria will benefit from a tax rate of 15% on the first €500,000 in profits that are reinvested in the business. 

What’s happening today?: Robert Abela will be in Mosta, Triq il-Parroċċa for a discussion at 6:30pm. Bernard Grech will start the day with a walkabout in Birgu (9:30am) and then make pit stops along Floriana, Bormla and Ħal Għaxaq. The day culminates with a political activity in Żejtun. Arnold Cassola will be giving a press conference on the environment in fron of the ministry at 11:30am.