In a country not accustomed to coalition governments, a pre-electoral deal between the Nationalist Party and the Democratic Party was always bound to elicit a mixed reaction.

However, the little information we know on how this deal will work has come from PD officials.

The most detailed exposition was given by PD’s deputy leader, Anthony Buttigieg, in a Talking Point on the Times of Malta on Monday.

It remains unclear whether the plan was fully endorsed by Opposition leader Simon Busuttil, who led the talks for the PN.

READ: Coalition deal must be approved by PN's executive committee

 

A closer look at the coalition deal outlined by Dr Buttigieg can give an indication of what it could mean for the parties and voters.

Two distinct parties

What Dr Buttigieg said:

The PN and PD will remain separate entities. The parties will discipline their own members and retain their respective leaders.

What it means:

The PN would have preferred otherwise, given it is the biggest, oldest and more successful partner in the deal. However, it is evident the PD, which was only born last year, did not want to have its identity usurped by the bigger party. This statement, however, has a bearing on the more fundamental and, possibly, more controversial aspects of this political arrangement.

One list

What Dr Buttigieg said:

PD candidates will be included in the PN list on the ballot sheet at the general election.

What it means:

This could possibly be the most contentious element for both parties.

For the PN it means its candidate list will include others with allegiance to another party while the PD will lose its distinct place on the ballot sheet.

To understand the one-list decision requires an understanding of the voting system. The number 1 vote (first count) is crucial to determine which political party wins the election in the eventuality that only two parties are elected to Parliament. If the PD and the PN contested separately, despite having a pre-electoral deal, the first count votes each obtain will not be added together. Even if the PD would have garnered a substantial number of first count votes across Malta but failed to elect someone, its contribution to the coalition would have been as good as nothing.

Under the proposed arrangement, anybody giving the first preference to a PD candidate under the PN list would be voting for the PN. In this way the PN and PD strategists hope they will reach the critical mass necessary to get ahead of the Labour Party. The deal secures the anti-Joseph Muscat vote for the PN but it also opens up the possibility of a future PN government having within its fold MPs who will not be answerable to the party.

Identified by nickname

What Dr Buttigieg said:

PD candidates will be clearly marked by nickname on theballot sheet or the background colour on their photos in the voting halls.

What it means:

Names on the ballot sheet are listed in alphabetical order, so the PD candidates cannot appear as a bloc at the top or bottom of the PN candidate list. However, on the ballot sheet, candidates also list their profession or work, home address and any nickname alongside their name and surname.

In the last election, Parliamentary Secretary Deborah Schembri, who contested on the Labour ticket for the first time, had included Tad-Divorzju as a nickname to distinguish her as the person who had successfully headed the pro-divorce campaign two years earlier. It appears that PD candidates will all have the same nickname. This could be ‘Tal-Orange’, as indicated by Dr Farrugia or some other identifier like ‘Tal-PD’, to distinguish them from the PN’s candidates.

Who will contest and where

What Dr Buttigieg said:

The parties will each choose their own candidates and the districts where they will contest.

What it means:

This has big implications for the PN. First of all, it means there will be candidates under the PN emblem who, presumably, would not have passed through its internal vetting process. Secondly, the choice of district for the PD’s candidates, especially its leader, Marlene Farrugia, can cause friction among PN candidates.

Joint manifesto

What Dr Buttigieg said:

The PN and the PD will campaign on a joint manifesto that includes issues dear to both parties such as good governance, electoral reform, accountability, party finance and sustainable development.

What it means:

Having a joint manifesto that lists an agreed programme of government is understandable but it remains unclear whether the individual parties will also have their own distinct proposals. The presumption is that a joint manifesto will have to be approved by the internal structures of the respective parties.

A coalition government

What Dr Buttigieg said:

The PN and the PD will govern as two parties in a coalition if they win the election and PD candidates are elected.

What it means:

What is unclear still is the role of the junior partner within a prospective coalition government. It has to be seen whether the PD is promised a Cabinet post, as is normal with coalitions abroad. The PD’s insistence that it will remain a separate party suggests its MPs may not be answerable to the PN Whip in Parliament.

While the coalition should have no problem implementing the shared proposals, it will have to seek a compromise on other issues that may appear in the two parties’ respective manifestos.