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Election Playbook: The heat is on
Alex Borg makes a sworn statement, his party helps one of the most well-off groups of earners in Malta, and a solution to the housing affordability crisis is found by Gżira United FC President Sharlon Pace. Read all about it in Thursday's edition of the Election Playbook
7 May 2026, 8:11pm
Matthew Farrugia
Matthew Farrugia
3 min read
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The heat is on: Malta’s political temperature has turned up a notch in the latest hours after the Nationalist Party was accused of being handed its idea for a maritime fuel hub by a prominent fuel smuggler. I remember a conversation in the MaltaToday newsroom about a possible election bingo card, and admittedly, this did not feature in it. Party leader Alex Borg later wrote a sworn affidavit saying he never met any smugglers about the proposal. We expect that if the rumour persists, Borg will have to truly show that he has nothing to hide and make a promise to Jesus. In all seriousness, I am very much struggling to understand where this story came from, but equally confusing is Deputy Prime Minister Ian Borg’s apparent dismissal of the allegation as a “non-story”. Here is what he had to say to our journalist, Karl Azzopardi.
A solution to the housing affordability issue: Throughout this campaign, the electorate is undoubtedly expecting political parties to come up with solutions to the problems in their lives. But on Thursday, a solution to the housing affordability problem was found, not by a politician, but by Gżira United FC President Sharlon Pace. Pace has just sanctioned his illegal padel courts on Manoel Island for the very reasonable price of just €900. How did we not think of this sooner? Why complain of the struggle to own a home when you can just take out a loan, start construction anywhere you please (even a future national park), and pay a fee no more expensive than a 20-year-old Maruti 800.
Helping those who need it least: In other news, the Nationalist Party has revealed its proposal of a tax reform that truly helps a struggling class of people. Not the newly-formed underclass of TCNs who barely make ends meet of course, but people earning more than €60,000 per year. According to a PQ answered last year, there are some 14,400 people earning between €60,000 and €80,000, the Himalayan salt of the earth. It is about time tax income is used to help share the financial load of these disadvantaged souls. I look forward to further measures like grants for Rolex watches and Louis Vuitton bags, or promising free mooring space for yacht owners, so the PN can cement its place as the party of the hard workers.
Silly Season spreads: Clyde Caruana describes election season and the months leading up to it as “Silly Season,” a time when politicians come up with spectacular promises that aren’t grounded in reality. What Caruana fails to note is that the silliness isn’t limited to the political class, as it spreads throughout society the closer we get to election day. Which brings me to one of my favourite forms of silliness: consumerism. I was first reminded of the commercial creativity Malta has to offer when I saw this mug stand near the PL’s 1 May celebrations.
(Photo: James Bianchi/MaltaToday)
I was reminded of it again after seeing this video of a local businessman selling PL and PN flags for just €5. The best part is that you can pay just €9.99 if you buy one of each.
A bit of digging on Facebook Marketplace revealed other gems like this vintage PL tie that can elevate any suit, or get into the election spirit with this PN's greatest hits CD.
Election Talk with Karl Azzopardi: Labour MEP Thomas Bajada is Karl Azzopardi's guest on today's Election Talk. The pair discuss election handouts and the global context in which the election is taking place.
Matthew Farrugia is a journalist at MaltaToday
He was the joint-winner (2025) as upcoming...