At least two new political parties are expected to be launched in the coming weeks in a bid to challenge the country’s two-party dominance. A new progressive party – ( ) – will comprise from other political parties. Labour’s former policymaker Silvan Agius and MEP Cyrus Engerer are two of the brains behind it.
Meanwhile, former Green party leader Arnold Cassola is also launching a new party in January . Activist NGO has hinted at plans to establish another party. The new parties aim to end the decades-old Labour and Nationalist dominance.
However, questions remain about whether the fragmentation among these third parties will help or further divide the vote. One Labour insider argued: “Their selling point can’t just be that they’re new or different from PL-PN. People expect more than that to vote for you.
” A PN official, who also asked to be anonymous, said such new entrants into the political scene cannot market themselves as a party for minorities. “If the party is just about minorities’ rights, your voter pool is already less than what you need to govern,” he said. “It’s literally in the name itself – not a majority.
” Both former PN and PL strategists Austin Gatt and Jason Micallef agreed that the majority of people will vote for the party they feel is strong enough to govern, not just for the party strong enough to elect a seat in parliament. Gatt argues people will always gravitate towards a party that can provide stability and security. Mor.
