Election Playbook: Abela takes inspiration from GonziPN while ABBA hits the casting couch

The Casting Couch Chats: The Facebook-viewing electorate was treated to a special performance by ABBA on Tuesday. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the Swedish pop legends who graced our screens but the new Partit ABBA. Some of the candidates came together to record a short campaign film, depicting a frustrated group of friends venting about supposed secret government agendas to introduce abortion. Everything about this video is art – the slight camera shake, leftover baguette in the background, and Matthew Grech’s totally camp hand movements. Here’s to hoping they submit this under the Short Film category at the Next Malta Film Awards... 

Eurotrash: Partit Popolari has a hard-right positioning, with anti-immigration hardliners and Catholic nostalgics running on their ticket. Among the candidates is Clint Calleja, who in a recent press conference let out a fiery speech and claimed the European Union was imposing abortion rights and COVID vaccines onto member states. He deemed Maltese EU Commissioner Helena Dalli ‘trash’, and then turned his sights on Goldman Sachs, Bill Gates, George Soros and WEF founder Klaus Schwab.  

Fear the sweeper: The Green Party, or Green Sweeps Clean Party, held a press conference in the street where Miriam Pace lost her life to state that everyone deserves to live peacefully at home without fearing for their life or property due to next door construction. ADPD candidate Sandra Gauci said the boards that regulate building construction and development should be sensitised on the impacts their decisions have on residents. Chairperson Carmel Cacopardo added that Parliament must give regulatory authorities the required tools to ensure that the construction industry was brought to order. 

Under Paris Skies: The Nationalist Party’s media portal recently reported that Robert Abela agreed with former Labour MP Ian Castaldi Paris to install him as Parliamentary Speaker so long as he does not contest the general election. Apparently, Castaldi Paris was intent on contesting the Labour Party ticket despite throwing in the towel last year. It’s unclear whether Castaldi Paris actually intended on this, but Abela has since denied securing such a pact, excluding it entirely and claiming it to be spin.  

Abela vs Gonzi: Robert Abela made a cheeky jibe during his speech at last night’s Labour activity. After peaching about the Nationalist Party wanting to take Malta back in time, while Labour represents the party of the future, Abela played on a former prime minister Lawrence Gonzi’s famous dictim “Flimkien Kollox Possibli” (Everything’s possible together). The Labour Party opted for the “Malta Flimkien” (Malta Together) slogan in this year’s election. Abela refashioned it by saying “Flimkien m’hemm xejn li mhux possibli” (Nothing’s impossible together). This isn’t the first time Abela took a leaf out of the Gonzi playbook – even the Labour Party’s “Robert 2020” campaign theme harks back to the 2008 “GonziPN” slogan. 

Cassola wins again: Independent candidate Arnold Cassola gets his way again after staging a sit-in at the Naxxar counting hall. The Electoral Commission initially refused to give him access to the area where questionable votes are being examined. To this, Cassola said that he will not leave the hall until the Commission grants him access. He sat there for three hours, and was then handed an access tag for entry into the hall.

What’s happening today?: Bernard Grech will be in Mosta at 6pm for a Nationalist Party event. Robert Abela will first be in Xewkija at 5:30pm for a rally, and will then be in Żurrieq at 8pm for another rally. Arnold Cassola will be holding a press conference at noon on environmental planning.