Sandra Gauci

What we have experienced over the past month or so has been a relentless takeover of our collective thought processes, driven by a single message repeated on an endless loop, 24/7. Whether on the roads, on the radio, or on television, the narrative has been unmistakable: if you want to thrive, survive, and live happily ever after, you need Labour.

The power of incumbency was milked and abused to the hilt, so that there was no longer any distinction between the party in government and the government itself.

While logic dictates that a caretaker government only carries out those tasks that are necessary for the continuation of the administration, we saw direct orders in the hundreds of millions being handed out after parliament was dissolved while contentious planning permits were awarded prior to the elections.

Nothing was left to chance and almost on a daily basis backhand deals with minorities of society were announced, with cheques and promises of payments to various sectors which were not allocated funds in the budget, after parliament was dissolved and on the eve of the election.

If you wanted a job, you got one, even if you did not need it!

Surveys were weaponised as psychological warfare on voters.

Government propaganda bombarded us 24/7 in the printed media, social media, civil service and public authorities’ workplaces.

Phone calls were made purportedly from the Office of the Prime Minister, even on election day until late in the evening enticing people to vote Labour in exchange for favours.

There were even public announcements on ‘reflection day’ for people to go to Labour headquarters if they needed anything! The police commissioner seems to have been asleep on the day too.

We had attempts to bribe people for votes in exchange for medicines, treatment and hospital appointments. Persons in public office who are supposed to be apolitical due to their role, publicly told people to vote for the Labour Party.

There were allegations about prisoners who shouldn’t have voted but still did. We had a totally biased public broadcaster, which even broke the rules on ‘reflection day’.

Public and private institutions were simply used as props for propaganda. At MCAST the prime minister received a hero’s welcome by the principal and his entourage, while the president of the Student Council and other students were unashamedly used in an advert for Labour, using tax-funded MCAST facilities.

There was also the repeated use of children that the Commissioner for Children seemed to be ineffective in putting a stop to.

This is not all, but it paints a vivid picture of totally unfair and clearly undemocratic elections. The caretaker period is meant to ensure a level playing field, yet that period is treated as an extension of campaigning.  Instead, the machinery of the state is deployed in the service of the incumbent, while others struggle even to make their voices heard.

Against all these odds, it was extremely satisfying that the efforts of ADPD and Momentum practically doubled the votes given to third parties in the previous election.  But with the electoral system as it is stacked up against anyone outside of the PLPN duopoly it would have been nothing short of a miracle for a candidate from ADPD or Momentum to make it to parliament.

Therefore, it was with mixed feelings that we left the Naxxar Counting Hall on Sunday night – happy that the results were good in the circumstances, but at the same time despondent as to when we will make headway.

  But that feeling did not last long. Barely 24 hours had passed before social media feeds were metaphorically ringing off the hook with calls for the discriminatory gender mechanism to be recognised for what it is – a farce –and that the votes obtained by myself that surpass those obtained by other female candidates from other parties should be counted fairly.

 There is also another point that is often overlooked: the existence of a national quota designed to correct the absurdly high district-based quota. This important corrective mechanism is frequently forgotten in discussions about representation and electoral fairness.

We should never accept certain practices. It is not ‘how politics is done’. These are symptoms of a paralysed democratic system, which does not develop but erodes. The most dangerous outcome of all is not just the misuse of power itself, but the gradual numbing of the public.  A healthy democracy depends not only on laws and institutions, but also on restraint, especially from those who hold executive power. 

It also raises serious questions about oversight and enforcement. Law enforcement is nowhere to be seen. Law courts wash their hands when it comes to the electoral process and refuse to provide remedies. Citizens begin to feel that rules exist in theory but not in practice, applied selectively depending on political convenience. Ultimately, the challenge is not only electoral but institutional. 

Despite all this, I remain full of hope that the victorious Int Malta – Il-Ħolma Tiegħek. Il-Proġett Tagħna. campaign will lead to a Nifs Ġdid lil pajjiżna where ilkoll we work together for a Bidla ta’ Vera, għal Malta Ġusta u Sabiħa.

First published in The Times of Malta 08/06/2026

Sandra Gauci is the chairperson of ADPD-The Green Party and a St Paul’s Bay councillor.