Prime Minister Joseph Muscat could seek advice from European Council president Donald Tusk on holding an election before Malta ends its EU presidency.
The former Polish prime minister did exactly that in October 2011 when his country held the six-month rotating presidency of the European Council for the first time. Poland took over the EU presidency in July 2011 and the election was held two months before it ended. Mr Tusk was re-elected.
However, research shows that, over the past 10 years, the Polish case was the only one where a country holding the EU presidency went to the polls.
Malta could become the second such case if Dr Muscat decides to call an election in June, when the EU presidency ends.
On June 22 and 23, Dr Muscat is expected to chair the final summit of the Maltese presidency in Brussels, which makes it unlikely for the election to be held on June 24. This means it could either be held the weekend before (June 17) or any Saturday in July.
Although the Brussels playground may be of little consequence to the domestic political scene, it is very likely Dr Muscat will want to run the full course of Malta’s EU presidency. If this is his thinking, the election will come in July but the country would be in full campaign mode during the last month of its EU presidency.
It is likely he will drop more than a hint on when the election will be held in today’s mass meeting in Valletta.
The Prime Minister’s discourse has shifted of late, in the wake of allegations by blogger Daphne Caruana Galizia that his wife, Michelle, was the owner of Egrant, the company that surfaced in the Panama Papers.
The Prime Minister and Ms Muscat have denied the claim and called for a magisterial inquiry that is ongoing.
The inquiry is also probing allegations by the Opposition leader that the Prime Minister’s chief of staff, Keith Schembri, may have received kickbacks to his account at Pilatus Bank from Nexia BT owner Brian Tonna in connection with the passport-for-cash scheme.
Both men have denied the claim, insisting payments to Mr Schembri were intended to pay back a personal loan given to Mr Tonna in 2012.
Dr Muscat said on Friday the magisterial inquiry was not a factor in any decision he would make on holding an election.
The consequences on business of a politically-charged climate will very likely be though.