Election Playbook: Galdes goes rogue

Return of the Playbook: Welcome back to another edition of MaltaToday’s Election Playbook, a daily roundup of each day of the campaign. Everyday until election day, we will be giving you a digest of what happened on the day, albeit in a tongue-in-cheek way. Luckily for us, we are living in an age of social media, where politicians become influencers and do just about anything to grab attention. Apart from political commentary, we’ll be watching out for cheeky billboards, politicians role-playing as ordinary people, and the overall absurdity that is election season.

Galdes goes rogue: Roderick Galdes is taking on his own party after he was barred from contesting the general election. Sure it wasn’t the most ideal start to a career politician’s campaign, but hey, at least he’s grabbing headlines. You can’t blame Galdes for trying his best, after all, the Prime Minister himself said he has much more to give the country. And even if he fails to secure his place on the PL ticket, I’m sure his history of impressive property deals opens could land him a job at any of the top real estate firms. However this story ends, it seems that the election campaign is off to a fiery start.

An election in the AI Age: I know Alex Borg used to be a model before becoming a lawyer, but I never imagined seeing so many photos of him smoking joints on my Facebook wall. I wonder if anyone at PN HQ thought about this when coming up with their slogan. But Alex Borg smoking joints and surrounded by cannabis plants is just one sign of an election campaign in the age of AI. We here at MaltaToday very much enjoyed the AI edits featuring the Labour Party’s slogan, “Int Malta,” though we must admit that “Int Ġaħan” or “Int Għoxx” simply look better on a billboard.

€5,000 per baby: In case you didn’t already know, the Labour Party really wants you to have children. Among the first batch of its proposals were increased leave for parents and a €5,000 payment for each child one has. Don’t get me wrong, €5,000 is nice, but the proposal lacks creativity. Why not give parents what they really need? Like a subsidised helicopter service to help parents avoid traffic while taking their children to school, sports activities, and private lessons. Why not reassure parents that their children won’t need to bend over backward to afford a one-bedroom flat? And while we’re at it, what about giving parents the reassurance that their children never utter the words “six seven?” 

Election Talk with Karl Azzopardi: MaltaToday has also launched its very own daily podcast: Election Talk. On Tuesday’s episode, Karl Azzopardi and MaltaToday Editor Kurt Sansone discuss the first day of the electoral campaign.

What's on Wednesday: On Wednesday afternoon, both parties are expected to hold events. The Labour Party will be organising an event at 6:00pm in Sannat, while the Nationalist Party will meet in Mellieħa at 6:30pm.