Valletta electoral propaganda cube passed off as ‘work of art’ to bypass planning permit

A massive structure being erected at the entrance to Valletta, intended to serve as the government’s launchpad for the upcoming electoral campaign and financed through public funds, has been classified as a “work of art” to avoid the need for a planning permit and public scrutiny.

Although officially described as a temporary installation, the large cube-like structure is expected to remain in place for months, at least until the summer.

The government is presenting the structure as an immersive exhibition pavilion for Malta Vision 2050, intended to showcase how Malta could look in 25 years under Labour’s long-term plans.

However, sources familiar with the project confirmed that the initiative forms part of the Office of the Prime Minister’s internal electoral strategy in the run-up to the next general election.

Despite the scale and prominent location of the structure, in one of Malta’s most sensitive and tightly regulated urban areas, no planning permit has been issued.

Cranes and workers, many of them third-country nationals engaged through events and logistics companies, are currently assembling the structure, expected to be inaugurated shortly by Prime Minister Robert Abela.

The Planning Authority did not reply to questions from The Shift about whether a development permit had been requested or granted. Typically, even minor temporary structures, such as kiosks, require formal approval in the area surrounding Valletta’s entrance.

In response to questions, a spokesperson for the Office of the Prime Minister confirmed to The Shift that the structure had been classified as a “work of art” by the Arts Council, currently chaired by Luke Dalli, a Labour stalwart.

Under existing regulations, temporary works of art, generally statues or monuments, are exempt from the requirement to obtain a planning permit. However, this was never meant for the kind of structures being mounted by the OPM.

So far, it remains unclear who determined that the structure qualifies as a work of art, who designed it, and on what basis the classification was made.

Questions requesting the name of the artist responsible for the installation, the procurement process involved, and the total projected cost to taxpayers remained unanswered.

OPM sources told The Shift that a small internal unit – Envision2050 – was recently established at Castille and staffed largely by staunch Labour supporters, including senior civil servants. The unit is understood to have been allocated a budget of €4.5 million to market the Malta Vision 2050 project.

According to sources, the real purpose of the unit is to act as a government-funded mechanism to bolster Robert Abela’s electoral prospects ahead of the next general election.

“The Vision 2050 is just another marketing tool in the government’s efforts to pump millions of state funds into its marketing and partisan propaganda efforts,” one source said.

Sources also claimed that event organisers who have previously benefited from substantial government contracts, including those involved in large-scale events such as the film festival, Eurovision-related activities, Mużika Mużika, Notte Bianca and many others, are involved in the latest OPM spending spree.

The Shift asked the OPM to provide details of contracts issued so far, including direct orders and beneficiary companies involved in the construction and operation of the pavilion.

The OPM declined to provide the information.