The lowest turnout ever for the local council elections (59.2%) and the win for the Labour party in previously PN strongholds can be translated into a number of conclusions:

1. People have lost faith in the raison d’etre of the councils. They see no point in voting for a concept which has obviously not worked and which has only turned into a microcosm of petty partisan politics on a village scale.

2. OK, so the people who did bother to vote gave a majority to Labour on a local council level – this however, as we have amply seen in the past, is no reason for Labour to assume it will win when the whole country goes to the polls. The Labour majority in places such as Mosta,  St Paul’s Bay, Safi and Qala does give an indication of the discontent with the present administration, but Muscat would be foolish to think this will guarantee him victory on a national scale.

3. With the clock ticking towards the general elections, these local elections have  given voters an opportunity to signal their protest at how the country is being run, either by not voting, or by voting for Labour and AD candidates.  This protest vote might galvanise the PN into stepping up its election mode, and scrambling around to see how they can win back their lost votes. Sit back and wait for more magical solutions to problems which have been gathering dust for years.

4. Finally, I disagree with those who say if people do not vote then they have no right to complain.  What kind of democracy is that? The non-vote is also a vote in my opinion. It is a vote of no confidence in either side. And when you have almost 50% telling you they have lost their trust in all politicians, then it is the political class as a whole which needs to wake up and see what it is doing wrong.

5. The bad weather had nothing to do with the election results. Those who truly wanted to vote for a specific candidate or party did so. But you cannot pressure, bully or badger people into voting, so I do hope that the parties have learnt their lesson and will stop calling or texting people on voting day.  Here’s an idea: why don’t you take all that manpower and energy and time which you wasted yesterday annoying people, to actually make Malta a better place to live in? I’m sure that will give your volunteers/canvassers plenty of work  to do.