Election Desk: The Money Trail in Maltese Politics

Imagine this: it’s the wee hours of the morning, and you’re standing outside the counting hall at the Floriana Granaries. The air is thick with anticipation, and the smell of espresso wafts through the chilly night. Suddenly, a car pulls up, and out steps a familiar face, clutching a bulging envelope. You can’t help but wonder, what’s inside?

Money Talks, But Who’s Listening?

Money in politics is as old as democracy itself. But in Malta, the relationship between cash and campaigns has been under the microscope since the 2017 murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, who exposed high-level corruption. The question on everyone’s mind: how much influence does money have on our elections?

According to the Electoral Commission, political parties spent a combined €10 million in the 2019 European Parliament elections. But that’s just the official figure. The real number, many suspect, is much higher. “It’s like trying to count the fish in the sea,” says Dr. Mark Camilleri, a political scientist at the University of Malta.

Cash on the Sidewalk

Walk down Republic Street in Valletta during election season, and you’ll see it: posters plastered on walls, banners hanging from balconies, and billboards looming large. It’s a visual symphony of political marketing, and it’s not cheap. A single billboard can cost upwards of €1,000 per month. Multiply that by the dozens, if not hundreds, that parties put up, and you’re talking serious money.

Then there are the leaflets, the radio and TV ads, the online campaigns. And let’s not forget the manpower – the volunteers, the canvassers, the organisers. All of it adds up. So where does the money come from?

Follow the Money

Officially, political parties in Malta are funded through membership fees, donations, and state subsidies. But there’s a grey area, too. Businesses, for instance, can donate to parties, but they’re not required to disclose how much they give. And while parties must declare their spending, they don’t have to specify how much they spent on each candidate or activity.

“We need more transparency,” says Dr. Camilleri. “We need to know who’s giving what, and where the money is going.” He points to other European countries, like the UK and Germany, where political donations are closely regulated and publicly disclosed.

But change is slow. In 2019, the Electoral Commission proposed new rules to increase transparency, but they’ve yet to be implemented. Meanwhile, the next general election is just around the corner.

What’s in the Envelope?

Back at the Floriana Granaries, the car door slams shut. The envelope is handed over, and the man steps back into the shadows. We’ll never know what was inside – not officially, anyway. But we can guess. It’s the same old story: money, politics, and the unspoken promises they make.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. We can demand better. We can push for more transparency, for stricter rules, for a system that serves us, not the other way around. Because in a democracy, the people should always be the ones calling the shots. Not the money.