Momentum protests exclusion from PBS Budget 2027 debates

Momentum has formally lodged a complaint with Public Broadcasting Services and the Broadcasting Authority over its exclusion from televised discussions on the 2027 Budget.

Momentum is arguing public broadcasting is failing to represent the full spectrum of political opinion in Malta.

In a letter to the two authorities, the party said state and mainstream media continued to marginalise alternative political voices, effectively protecting the traditional two-party system.

It cited the TVM programme Popolin, broadcast on 28 October 2026, as an example of what it described as a lack of political pluralism. The programme featured three government MPs and three opposition MPs, while the studio audience included candidates from both the Labour Party and the Nationalist Party.

Momentum argued a representative from the party could have been included either on the panel or among the studio audience to provide an alternative perspective on the country's economic situation.

The party also identified several other programmes which held discussions on the Budget without its participation, including Vi jew Va, Wara l-Ħdax ma’ Ricky, Xtra and Bla Rispetti; Il-Fatti.

Momentum general secretary Mark Camilleri Gambin, who signed the letter, said public broadcasting was funded by taxpayers but continued to operate in a way that favoured the two major political parties.

He argued discussions on matters of national importance, particularly the economy and the Budget, should reflect the diversity of Maltese society.

Excluding smaller political parties, he added, undermined the broadcaster's democratic responsibility to provide balanced and inclusive coverage.

Momentum is calling on the Broadcasting Authority to intervene and find an immediate solution that would guarantee the party the opportunity to participate in national political debates.

The party maintained meaningful democratic discussion required the inclusion of all legitimate political forces, rather than repeatedly giving prominence to the positions of the two established parties.