Election Playbook: Who can it be now?

Who can it be now?: Prime Minister Robert Abela’s refusal to name the contrabandist who approached him and the PN with a proposal for an offshore fuel hub has dragged the general election into uncharted waters. One cannot be blamed for wondering why Abela would make such an accusation and then refuse to name names. Perhaps he misspoke and didn’t realise he would be disclosing the identity of one of the criminals he meets. Maybe he simply cannot stand the idea of an offshore fuel hub and therefore less space to sail on his yacht. However this saga ends, it teaches us one thing: Malta’s next prime minister will be either someone who pulls an accusation out of thin air and refuses to explain himself, or someone who refuses to disclose the name of the experts behind a major proposal despite serious questions hanging over it. 

Pinfluencers strike again: It is a great pleasure to announce the return of this segment in the Election Playbook, where we take a look at politicians doing funny things on social media. Today, it was PL candidate Clint Azzopardi Flores who inspired me to bring back this piece. On Thursday, he posted a video of himself making aglio e olio wearing a shirt, explaining he was too busy to change while standing over a pan full of garlic cloves. I know this is a newspaper and I am no chef, but I think you can spare some of that garlic, especially if you are meeting constituents after dinner.

Pinfluencers come in many different forms though, as some, like Adrian Delia, prefer to make their mark in the fashion world instead of the kitchen. Feast your eyes on this masterstroke of an outfit as he attended the PN’s Birkirkara event with a PN handkerchief fashioned around his neck like a cravat. 

But this week’s best pinfluencer has to be PN candidate Errol Cutajar, who posted a video so absurd he left me with no words to make fun of him. Just have a look yourself.

Welcome Dr Abela?: We’ve already covered politicians and their bloopers in the Election Playbook, but they aren’t the only ones who make mistakes in front of cameras and microphones. On Thursday, a presenter at a PN event in Żejtun mistakenly welcomed PN Leader Alex Borg as Dr Abela to the shock of the woman standing behind her.

I don’t know who the presenter is, and I assume she prefers that it stays that way, but just in case she’s reading this, don’t take it too seriously. At least you didn’t make the mistake your leader made when he assumed Maltese people don’t order wine with dinner. When was the last time you went to a restaurant, Alex? 

The fascists have AI: When we first branded Malta’s 2026 election as the first one in the age of AI, I knew we were in for some treats, but I never imagined that Malta’s lowest political actors would be making use of AI in this way. The Facebook algorithm pushed an AI video published by Nazi apologist Norman Lowell promoting Imperium Europa leader and Norman Lowell wannabe, Eman Cross. I won’t share the video here because I cannot bring myself to promote these pathetic fascists, but it was quite surprising to see their racism displayed blatantly in their AI edits. And if Eman Cross (who I remind again was accused of threatening his own mother) pushing a boat full of black people out to sea wasn’t surprising enough, I then witnessed Lowell dancing while surrounded by children in some sort of Epstein-ish fantasy. I now take back everything I said about AI being a good feature in Maltese politics.

Election Talk with Karl Azzopardi: Political analyst Jeremy Camilleri is today's guest on Karl Azzopardi's Election Talk, as the xenophobic backlash against Omar Rababah's candidature takes centre stage.