With the series of events taking place in Malta over the past months, one can argue that it is never a dull day here. As the country seems to start moving away from one impactful episode, another comes up in quick succession. As Malta is seemingly exiting the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been recently hit with the tough news that the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has grey listed the jurisdiction.
A tough break
Ever since Robert Abela took over as Prime Minister of Malta, stating that his experience has so far been a bumpy ride is an understatement. Since he took over he had to combat serious allegations about members of government involved in corruption and potentially the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia. Following that, the COVID-19 pandemic struck and led to a series of unprecedented events that impacted the country’s economy. Now, the country has been grey listed.
Is an election looming?
Prior to the grey listing event, many were presuming that 2021 could bring forth an election. Some deemed it as the right time, especially as Malta is successfully managing the pandemic with its vaccination campaign in full swing. In view of this recent result by the FATF, and the associated uncertainty, is this the right opportunity to see if the people would re-affirm their faith in the current government or opt for a different party?
The Opposition’s stance
In a recent statement by the Leader of the Opposition, it has been emphasised that the Government should not be looking at an election at this point in time. His argument is that the national interest should not be waned by the distractions of a general election.
The benefits of an election for Robert Abela
As Robert Abela is seemingly well in the lead as per the opinion polls published, a win in a general election will give him some breathing space since the people would have expressed their faith in the Labour party under his leadership and not that of his predecessor. A win in the election would also justify a job well done ever since he took over, especially if the Labour party wins with a large margin yet again. An election would also divert the attention from the recent happenings and allow the people to make a choice on the preferred path adopted.
Do you think that it is the right time for an election? Let us know your views in the comments section below.
