Election billboards are set to go blank soon after the voting ends at 10pm tonight in line with an understanding reached between the two major political parties, Times of Malta has learnt.

The move is intended to minimise potential flashpoints which could erupt tomorrow when thousands are expected to descend to the streets once the general election result is out, which could be as early as noon.

Though there are no imminent threats of political violence, tensions are nevertheless running high, and consequently it was agreed to remove all political advertising from major thoroughfares, including billboards. This will involve removing the canvas banners attached to these structures.

This was confirmed by sources in both the Nationalist and the Labour parties, who told the Times of Malta that this “informal” agreement followed the practice adopted in recent elections.

Introduced for the first time in the 1992 general election, billboards have now become a permanent, powerful fixture in our landscape, not only during election time, when they mushroom, but also for everyday advertising.