Mercifully, it’s almost over, but watch out for the hissing and banging of the final five days of the general election campaign. By now, most people will have decided who to vote for, political party, first-preference candidate and all.

I would say that it will be a close race. Very close

But the parties will not pause for breath. They will carry on to the bitter end, formally through the techniques they have developed, informally through fellow travellers who are having a great time on the internet, less so in the newspapers.

Whatever is poured out until Friday, it is all over bar the shouting. It will go down in history as one of the most mean-spirited campaigns ever. One where issues were swept off stage by personal attacks and charges of corruption. Perhaps between now and Friday, issues will come back into focus.

The campaigning was different in style and content although, as expected, it followed a presidential type of doing electoral politics. The campaign was all about Lawrence Gonzi and Joseph Muscat, with lesser mortals barely getting a word in edgewise, including Simon Busuttil who did not make it blindingly evident what value he had added to his party. Most times he merely parroted the leader.

The content was paradoxical. On the one hand, the leaders played the same tune. Each undertook to improve economic performance.

The Nationalist leader could point to his record in office, which is not a bad one if one ignores the Himalaya mountain of public debt which will be inherited by the next government.

Given that record, it is surprising that Gonzi spent so much time picking out individuals, in addition to his counterpart, Muscat, focusing on Karmenu Vella and Edward Scicluna and, later on, almost obsessively on Labour’s deputy leader for party affairs, Toni Abela.

The Prime Minister had a good hand to play, but he fluffed it. More and more he came across as arrogant and wedded to power. Arrogantly he flogged the line that only the Nationalists could govern well, all but saying that they had a divine right to rule. Often enough one could make out the lines fed to him by the strategists at Pieta’, who also pressed him to attack Muscat for his youthfulness, as if it is a sin to enter the fray young.

I do not think Gonzi did his cause much good, beating on his chest and roaring out that he was the greatest and kicking at Muscat personally at every opportunity. Nor did he ingratiate himself to those who had left the Nationalist ranks with his inconsistencies. He ended the week by amazingly declaring that the people had been right about divorce.

In that case, he as much as admitted that he was wrong when he voted against the people’s will as expressed in the referendum on the subject, but did not have the humility to say so. He also sounded hollow attacking Labour for allegedly hobnobbing with contractors, when it is no State secret that the Nationalists have their own friends and, no doubt, benefactors.

Muscat tried something different. He refused to be drawn into personal tit-for-tat. He insisted he was heading a broad-based movement, not just a political party.

He promised that a Labour government – which he quaintly calls a new government – would not be tribal. It would base itself on meritocracy and welcome all those willing to help it govern.

The line worked with a surprising number of individuals. Whether it had broad-based appeal is another matter. The masses want clear government, though it certainly makes sense to undertake to mobilise all the resources available in Malta willing and able to work with the government. God knows, good resources are scarce enough. The tribal approach is wasteful in addition to often being unchristian.

It will be interesting to see how far Muscat can fulfil his promise to be a unifier if he does become Prime Minister. Before the campaign proper began and at its outset too, Labour had been pressing its major claim: to be able to cut electricity tariffs by a quarter. On the opening of the electoral campaign, it did say how. That seemed to take the Nationalists by surprise. Then for weeks on end, the issue was submerged in the deafening exchanges about corruption. No doubt it will resurface between now and Friday.

Muscat started the campaign well, rolling out his policies and stances on different sectors day after day. Until, that is, corruption took centre stage. Not that corruption is not an important issue. It does dirty our politics and also discourages investment by locals and foreigners alike.

Yet it cannot be made into a sole issue. General elections are fought on various issues. Muscat was showing that he had them until the campaign concentrated on corruption.

Nevertheless there were clear signs that his five years at the Labour helm had helped his party progress.

Its image was changed. Perhaps too much for old hands, but enough for it to attract backing from people who never dreamt they would one day support a Labour leader.

Much as Gonzi attacked and belittled Muscat, the Labour leader grew into an icon attracting interest from far beyond the Labour grassroots. That, after all, explains why his strategists insisted on Gonzi that he attacks Muscat and why fellow travellers were so vicious in the traditional and social media.

So, who will win the day? I never get the result right, but I would say it will be a close race. Very close.