ELECTION ANALYSIS

Has snap election caught the Nationalist Party off-guard?

In spite of the electoral campaign beginning three days ago, the Nationalist Party already seems miles behind the competition. The Nationalist Party has fallen behind on proposals and billboards; all of which the Labour Party has already introduced.

While some will believe that Joseph Muscat’s five proposals are populist and only intended to deflect the public from the grave allegations being made against him and his inner circle, they will still be viewed with hope and enthusiasm from a large number of the electorate.

The rest may seem trivial and people will say that ultimately the message is everything. However, in a day and age where the image reigns supreme, a party’s ability to communicate that message in a clear and aesthetically pleasing medium is what separates the finer margins of an electoral campaign.

The Labour Party has also already launched a slick website for Joseph Muscat, albeit with a quite frankly dubious and patronising fact checker section which attempts to belittle the very serious corruption allegations tabled before his administration.

Even the photoshopping on the website seems to be of the highest quality with Dr Muscat almost glistening on the webpage.

The Nationalist Party has done the same, however under the name of the ‘Forza Nazzjonali’, in what can be seen as another attempt by Simon Busuttil to further distance himself from a straight swap choice between Dr Muscat and himself.

It can be said that Dr Busuttil is employing a tactic to make the election seem like something greater than red and blue, but by hesitating to proudly present himself as the better leader he may be playing right in Dr Muscat’s hands, who has long described his counterpart as weak and unable to lead.

The PL has also been able to get a foothold over billboards across the island, with the PN limited to small banners being placed on skate parks and roundabouts, with no indication that the banners belong to the said party.

Admittedly, both banners are poor and seem to be whipped up by students cramming for an exam, but the Labour Party’s logo and campaign is dominated by soft pastel colours, which is undoubtedly intended to reflect current trends.

With four years in the opposition, and against a government seemingly drowning under the weight of scandal, it is baffling to see the Nationalist Party so ill prepared for an election. However one has to keep in mind that the party is still struggling with its finances.

It could be put forward that the Nationalist Party may not have been adequately prepared for a snap election on 3 June and that the Labour Party quickly pounced on premium advertising space before they could. But this is difficult to swallow, given that Simon Busuttil had repeated numerous calls for the PM’s resignation over the previous months, along with the fact that a snap election would take place prior to summer had almost become an open secret in Malta.

It is an Opposition’s duty to be prepared for an election of this magnitude, and with the party already lagging behind it seems hard to imagine how a lone standing anti-corruption message will manage to pull droves of people to vote for the coalition to govern the country.

The Nationalist Party seems to be unable to generate regular support at rallies within communities as much as Labour does. The second day of the election campaign displayed a stark difference between the two parties. The PL mass rally in Zurrieq saw hundreds of people of all ages turn out in full voice to support their leader, while at Dar Centrali, Simon Busuttil seemed to speaking to a room mainly composed of over-60 grassroots supporters.

This could mean that, beyond a strong message against corruption, Simon Busuttil does not seem to mobilise young people as much as his counterpart.

However, in Dr Muscat we have a political leader who expects the population to gladly accept any economic or social progress in spite of the endless allegations of corruption plaguing the current administration, by employing a savvy marketing campaign.

One awaits the PN to wake up in the coming days.