Why the Election Feels Unreal: A Malta Perspective

As I walked down Republic Street yesterday, the usual hum of Valletta was replaced by an eerie silence, save for the occasional flutter of campaign posters in the breeze. The general election is just days away, yet the atmosphere feels… off. It’s not just the lack of the usual election buzz; it’s as if the entire process has been stripped of its reality, leaving us with a surreal political scene.

Voting in a Pandemic: The New Normal

The pandemic has cast a long shadow over this election. With physical campaigning restricted and public gatherings banned, the traditional hustle and bustle of election season has been replaced by a digital echo chamber. Candidates are now vying for votes on social media, their messages reduced to bite-sized tweets and Facebook posts. The personal touch, the human connection that comes with face-to-face campaigning, is missing.

But it’s not just the campaigning that’s changed. Voting itself has been transformed. With safety measures in place, voting booths will be spaced out, queues will be managed, and voters will be encouraged to wear masks. It’s a far cry from the usual election day chaos, and it’s easy to feel detached from the process when it’s been so thoroughly sanitized.

Politics in the Time of COVID: A Shift in Priorities

The pandemic has also shifted the political discourse. Issues that were once front and center – the economy, immigration, even Brexit – have been pushed to the sidelines. Instead, the conversation is dominated by COVID-19: how we’ve handled it, how we’re handling it, and how we’ll handle it in the future. It’s a stark reminder that, for all the talk of recovery and rebuilding, we’re still very much in crisis mode.

This shift in priorities is reflected in the manifestos. While they still touch on the usual talking points, the pandemic looms large over every policy proposal. It’s a stark reminder that, no matter who wins, they’ll be inheriting a country that’s still grappling with the fallout of COVID-19.

An Election Without Laughter: The Absence of Debate

One of the most striking things about this election is the lack of debate. The traditional hustings, where candidates would face off in front of a live audience, have been replaced by sterile, socially distanced studio debates. The spontaneity, the clash of ideas, the moments of levity that come with a live debate – it’s all gone. In its place is a sanitized, scripted version of political discourse that feels more like a press conference than a debate.

This lack of debate has had a chilling effect on the election. It’s harder to get a sense of the candidates’ personalities, their values, their vision for Malta. It’s harder to make a decision when you’re not seeing the candidates in action, when you’re not hearing them grapple with tough questions, when you’re not seeing them laugh, or stumble, or show any sign of humanity.

And so, we’re left with an election that feels unreal. It’s not just the lack of campaigning, the shift in priorities, the absence of debate. It’s the fact that, for all the talk of change, of a new government, of a fresh start, it’s hard to feel like any of it is real when it’s all happening behind a screen, at a distance, in a world that’s been stripped of its usual rhythms and routines.

But despite the surreal atmosphere, the election is real. The decisions we make on Saturday are real. The future of our country is real. So, let’s vote. Let’s engage. Let’s make this election feel real, because it is. Because our future is at stake, and it’s too important to be left to the unreal.

As Malta’s Prime Minister Robert Abela put it, “This election is about our future. It’s about the kind of country we want to live in, the kind of society we want to build. It’s about more than just politics; it’s about us, our families, our communities. So, let’s make our voices heard. Let’s make this election real.”