Election Playbook: Two bombshells enter the villa and it’s heard all the way at Mile End

The L-bomb: We had two new bombshells entering the Love Island villa on Wednesday night, only for a separate “bomb” to go off outside Labour Party headquarters in Ħamrun. It’s easy for a situation like this to become a little sensationalised, so let’s review the facts. Between Wednesday and Thursday, residents in the area appear to have heard a small explosion in the Ħamrun area. On Thursday morning, police were alerted to a suspicious metal case that was spotted a few metres away from Labour’s HQ. Police and the AFM Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit went on site to investigate the matter, and we’ve yet to hear anything else. I’ve been taking the piss about “Labour Love Island”, but I definitely didn’t expect it to go so far!

Pick-me Nationalists: While the Labour Party was dealing with a potential bomb scare, the Nationalist Party became that one person who has to make everything about them. First, the party issued a statement of solidarity with the Labour Party while party leader Bernard Grech spoke with the Prime Minister to offer support. Well and good. But then, the Nationalist Party asked the police to investigate its own headquarters as a preemptive measure. Also fine I guess? But not even the Labour Party posted two statements about their actual bomb threat. I get that maybe the you wanted to prove that you were not responsible for this bomb situation, but let’s be real. You can hardly carry out an electoral campaign, no one’s thinking you have the time or money to procure lethal weapons. The Electoral Playbook declares you innocent.

A round of endorsements:  We’ve had two former politicians come out endorsing independent candidates on Thursday. These were former leader of Partit Demokratiku Marlene Farrugia, who is endorsing Arnold Cassola, and former Labour minister Evarist Bartolo backing former fellow Labour mayor Conrad Borg Manche. It’s an interest round of endorsements. Arnold Cassola was chairperson of Alternattive Demokratika before the party teamed up with Partit Demokratiku, becoming ADPD. It’s the coming-together of two people from two variants of today’s ADPD to endorse... not ADPD. Meanwhile, the Labour leavers are also banding together to support each other’s disillusions. This year, it’s anyone but PN-PL-ADPD apparently.

(Editor's note: Marlene Farrugia has also endorsed ADPD! Never forget your roots.)

Survey-watch: Gather round, it’s another candidates survey by MaltaToday. Roberta Metsola and Alex Agius Saliba are very much in pole position for a seat in the European Parliament, with Metsola polling at 19.6% and Agius Saliba at 14.2%. But with a week to go before voting day, half of Malta does not know who it will vote for. The only ‘certainty’ is that Metsola and Agius Saliba will be the first two MEPs to get elected. Among the Metsola voters, their second preferences are mostly David Casa and Peter Agius. Meanwhile for Agius Saliba, the second preference is Daniel Attard. Another certainty is that there’s overwhelming uncertainty among Labour voters, with over 60% of this cohort unsure of who they will vote for as a first-choice candidate.

What’s happening today?: The Nationalist Party will be in St Paul’s Bay at 6:30pm. The Labour Party will be in Dingli at 5:15pm and in Marsa at 6:30pm. Arnold Cassola is meeting Kunsill Studenti MCAST at 3:45pm.