In the heart of Valletta, outside the grand doors of the Parliament Building, a small group of protesters huddle together, their voices echoing through the cobbled streets. They’re not your typical protesters – they’re young, diverse, and they’re armed with nothing but hope and a dream. This is the birth of Malta’s newest political force, Repubblika, a party that’s daring to dream and ready to govern.

Repubblika was born out of frustration. Frustration with corruption, with inequality, with a political system that seemed to be stuck in the past. The party’s leaders, many of them young professionals and activists, decided they’d had enough. They started small, with street protests and social media campaigns, but their message resonated. They grew, attracting thousands to their rallies, and in the 2020 local council elections, they won a staggering 14% of the vote.

Now, they’re setting their sights higher. Much higher. The 2022 general election is just around the corner, and Repubblika is ready to take its place in the halls of power. But can a party born out of protest make the leap from the streets to the parliament? And if they do, what does that mean for Malta?

Repubblika’s vision is bold. They want to see a Malta that’s greener, fairer, and more inclusive. They want to tackle corruption head-on, to invest in education and healthcare, and to create a country that works for everyone, not just the privileged few. They’re not afraid to dream big, and they’re not afraid to say what they think needs to change.

“We’re not here to just tinker around the edges,” says Repubblika’s leader, Godfrey Farrugia. “We’re here to fundamentally change the way politics works in Malta. We want to create a system that’s transparent, accountable, and truly democratic.”

But turning dreams into reality is no easy task, especially in the cutthroat world of Maltese politics. Repubblika faces stiff competition from established parties, and they’ll need to navigate a complex political scene if they want to win seats in parliament.

Then there’s the question of experience. While Repubblika’s leaders are passionate and committed, they’re also young and relatively inexperienced in the art of governance. They’ll need to prove they can do more than protest – they’ll need to show they can govern.

But Farrugia is undaunted. “We might not have the decades of experience that some of our opponents have,” he says, “but we have something they don’t. We have a fresh perspective, a new way of thinking. We’re not tied down by the old ways of doing things. We’re free to dream, and to turn those dreams into reality.”

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