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Election Playbook: Celebrity endorsements and going easy on 'the persecuted'
In Wednesday's edition of the Election Playbook, we predict what penalties will be forgiven in future election campaigns and Olaf McKay poses for the most awkward celebrity endorsement
27 May 2026, 7:00pm
Matthew Farrugia
Matthew Farrugia
3 min read
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The eventual removal of penalties for all crimes: You know your political class is rotten to its core when it resorts to promising to waive the consequences of criminals’ actions. On Wednesday, we had an unnecessary confirmation of the sad state of Malta’s politicians. Silvio Schembri suggested that a future PL government will give hunters and trappers subject to a lifetime hunting licence ban a chance to get their licences back. Think about that the next time you have to pay traffic fines. He went on to describe hunters and trappers as a persecuted people with "all forces working against" them. I genuinely believe that in 10 years’ time, our excuse of a political class will seek to reduce the punishment of a number of other crimes, so here are some predictions of what we can expect in our ongoing race to the bottom. Have you had your driving licence taken away after accumulating too many points? No worries, we’ll get Ian Borg to help you out with your driving test. Got caught building without a permit? I don’t think we can be more lenient, but don’t worry, we’ll pay you to regularise your illegality. Have you been fined for pissing in a park with children around? Just pay a fine, and we’ll give those pesky children who reported you a kick in the stomach so they learn their lesson.
An endorsement from Triq Balbi, Marsa: Controversial as they might be, celebrity endorsements are common in political campaigns abroad. These are quite rare in Malta given our particularly tribal political culture. But PL candidate and Valletta Mayor Olaf McKay has gone against the grain, in what might be the most awkward video I’ve seen throughout the campaign. The celebrity he trusted with distributing tickets to his event is Sefora Debono, the businesswoman who put Triq Balbi, Marsa on the map and on everyone’s social media algorithm. Have a look yourself, and see if you can resist the urge to cringe at McKay’s statue-like stance and awkward high five.
Questions for Robert Abela's head-rubber: I’ve already covered Robert Abela’s new habit of jumping into crowds during events to show that he’s just a cool, fun-loving guy. But after a PL youth party in Valletta, we now know one of the risks of such rockstar antics, as one hawk-eyed videographer captured this priceless moment of someone rubbing Abela’s head in the crowd. Look closely at the head-rubber and you can sense the passion and love for his political leader. Does he think Abela’s head will give him good luck? Is he blessing the prime minister with good fortune for the election? I guess we’ll never know. But if the head-rubber is reading this, I hope he can contact us and tell us exactly what his motivations were (or how many pints he had).
NSO: The National Statistics Office decided not to publish government finance and unemployment data on Friday “in observance of reflection day.” It is absolutely bewildering that the NSO sees such data as a political issue or an issue that can change voters’ minds. I seriously don’t think floating voters or undecided ones will be waiting to see what Malta’s debt levels look like before deciding on who to vote for. After all, who cares about debt and unemployment when we can have superbonuses and free smartwatches. But in all seriousness, the NSO’s postponement of its data release only goes to show that no one is immune to the fear of pissing off the PN and PL barons.
Election Talk with Karl Azzopardi: Moviment Graffitti's Andre Callus sits down with Karl Azzopardi to talk about the big parties' plans for local plan changes, how they pushed xenophobia to gain an electoral advantage.
Matthew Farrugia is a journalist at MaltaToday
He was the joint-winner (2025) as upcoming...