A decision to miss out on last Monday’s Cabinet meeting because of what sources said was an “organisational and logistical” consideration, led the editor of an English-language newspaper last Sunday to conclude, erroneously, that the election would be held in early March.
“He is wrong, and the Prime Minister will not be making any announcement tonight,” was the curt reply by one of the Prime Minister’s closest aides on Monday morning.
It continues to confirm that in these circumstances, Lawrence Gonzi is looking at May as his best bet for an election date.
It will serve as a respite for those candidates who are still lagging behind in their campaign trails.
The February option was ruled out last December after Alfred Sant underwent surgery for a malignant tumour in the colon. The sudden illness afflicting Sant, long considered by the Nationalist Party as their electoral trump card, led Nationalist strategists to rethink their strategy and rule out an early election date.
The strategy group has now set its sights on May as an option.
Last month’s polls gave a clear advantage to Labour, although it remains to be seen whether Sant’s illness has added a new dimension to the way voters intend to swing their preferences.
In a clear sign that the election campaign is hotting up, media representatives from the so-called “independent” media have been attending informal meetings with PN strategists.
In the meetings, suggested interviews with new “faces” in the PN have been put to them. Even coffee table magazine editors have been entertained with these proposals.
In Labour quarters, the momentum of its plethora of political proposals has been suddenly stalled by Sant’s illness, but last Monday’s press conference was an attempt to put an end to rumours about Alfred Sant’s future.
A lot is however expected at the next party conference, where Sant is expected to rekindle some party spirit and show the party delegates that he is still in the running for his 14-year-old dream to become Malta’s “once and future” prime minister.
Once again, proposals and issues seem to be playing a very small part in the electoral campaigns of the big parties, and much hinges on the performance of party leaders in what is gearing up to be a presidential-style campaign.
In the forgotten world of the third parties, the Greens have started to raise the role of Alternattiva Demokratika in a coalition, whilst at the same time focussing excessively on the Gozo constituency.
As for the new far-right party, Azzjoni Nazzjonali continues to seek partnerships with disgruntled voting groups, namely the hundreds of hunters and trappers who according to EU rules should theoretically consider 2008 as their last year of trapping and the last time for any hunting in spring.