TMIS Editorial: Voter abstention and the power of incumbency

It was not really a surprise that, two years ago, Malta registered the lowest turnout for a general election since Independence.In March 2022, only 85% of the registered voters gave their preferences in the national poll, which saw the Labour Party w

By: independent.com.mt

Apr 28 2024
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TMIS Editorial: Voter abstenti

It was not really a surprise that, two years ago, Malta registered the lowest turnout for a general election since Independence.

In March 2022, only 85% of the registered voters gave their preferences in the national poll, which saw the Labour Party winning its third consecutive term. We use the word “only” because, since the 1971 election, Malta had always seen more than 90% of its electorate exercising their right to vote, and there were occasions when this surpassed 95% too.

One in seven voters, or a total of two of the 13 electoral districts, could not be bothered in 2022. This was interpreted as a sign of disillusion, with this huge chunk of people too annoyed with politics and politicians to care enough to go to the polling booth. For them, it did not matter which party was elected. Their abstention was a strong message too.

We are fast approaching another test to see whether this aversion to politics has increased. We know that the turnout for European Parliament (and local council) elections is far lower when compared to the general election. Yet, even here, there are unambiguous signs that interest is being lost, especially among the younger generations. We could be heading towards a record low turnout here too.

We started off in 2004, the first EP election, with 84.4% of the electorate voting, but this steadily declined in subsequent elections – to 78.8% in 2009, 74.8% in 2014 and 72.7% in 2019. The indications are that we will hit a new low in June, possibly going below 70%, which would be a continuation of the trend (for EP elections) and also a confirmation of the decline in voter participation that was registered in 2022.

Last Sunday, Prime Minister Robert Abela gave a strong hint that the Labour Party is worried about the expected low turnout. The PL knows that it will once again get a comfortable victory in terms of first preferences given to Labour candidates, although with the vote inheritance system this will not necessarily translate into more seats in the EP. Labour is sure of winning three of the six places, but it could happen that the Nationalist Party will still be able to take the remaining three, given the way our electoral system works.

This is what Abela probably had in mind when he urged Labour supporters – in particular those who are still not sure whether they will turn up to vote on 8 June. Abela is trying to make the fourth seat happen for Labour, to maintain the set-up we have had in the last five years. He is probably thinking that a 3-3 score, irrespective of the majority of votes obtained by Labour, will dent his credibility and that of his government.

Remember that this is the first EP election with Robert Abela as Labour leader and PM. He wants to confirm his grip on the country (and the party) and does not what to see a repetition of what happened in 2014 when Joseph Muscat was PL leader and PM. It was the time when the PN managed to squeeze out winning a third seat for the first and only time since EP elections have been held.

There are no doubts that Labour will be doing its utmost to preserve its hold on power. The past 11 years has given us several examples.

The testimony being heard in court in the cases regarding the social services scandal expose how people were kept happy via the handing out of financial benefits to which they were not entitled. The government denies allegations made by the Opposition and others that it was a vote-catching exercise, but it’s not going to admit that, no?

The presidential pardon that is being offered to these people who committed a crime by defrauding the country can also be interpreted as a way that the government is trying to limit the damage. It is shameful that the government is resorting to such matters, with the blessing of the newly-installed President of the Republic, to sustain the culture of impunity that has been so prevalent in these 11 years of a Labour government.

And, before the 8 June election, it is more than likely that the government will hand out the now yearly tax refunds – cheques between €60 and €140 to all taxpayers, which is one other way through which the government will attempt to influence voters.

It is rich on Abela’s part to accuse the Nationalist Party of saying it wants to use the EP and local council elections as a stepping stone for the general election, slated for 2027.

The Labour Party in government has taken the power of incumbency to a new level.