2026 elections fought until the bitter end as parties grasp at every vote

After spending around ten hours zooming around from one polling station to another, it is apparent that major parties are not leaving one vote to chance during the voting day of the 2026 general elections.

The Shift visited three localities, each in a different district: Birżebbuġa, Qormi, and Mosta.

The first stop was certainly the most interesting one, with an impressive turnout of people in and around the voting station as early as 8.30am.

Known as a Labour Party stronghold for decades, it was not surprising to see clearly that Birżebbuġa is largely in thrall to the governing party, with several canvassers lined up at both entrances of the site.

Among the familiar names emblazoned on their bright red or white shirts were Remenda Grech, Miriam Dalli, and Owen Bonnici. 

Shortly after, at a nearby bar, several conversations naturally turned to the elections. In case you were wondering, none of these conversations involved any Nationalist Party supporters – in this area, they were nowhere to be seen early on in the day.

A police sergeant stationed outside the polling station said filming was not allowed, only for us to find a ONE journalist and a cameraperson setting up a vox pop in front of the barricades blocking cars from entering the polling station’s street.

By 10am, Qormi had become quite busy. Outside the polling station, it seemed like more of the same: at least a dozen canvassers vigilantly monitoring every voter walking up and down the street, with a steady trickle of people going in to cast their ballot.

The hierarchy of canvassers is notable. Canvassers working for former or current ministers outnumbered those working for fresh-faced candidates.

The largest cohorts seen by The Shift belonged to Silvio Schembri, Ian Borg, and Rosianne Cutajar, whose faces were plastered over several offices and balconies in and around the voting area.

In Mosta – at around 4pm, after an inordinate amount of time spent enduring traffic – the scene was much quieter, albeit not missing a noticeable cohort of Nationalist Party canvassers around the corner from the main entrance of the polling station.

Former Nationalist Party Leader Bernard Grech and PN candidate Dione Borg were also seen at the Mosta polling station.

Though we could not possibly have hoped to cover all 13 districts in one day, the activity in the towns we visited was enough evidence to suggest that both major parties sense this is a do-or-die moment for them.

While Prime Minister Robert Abela and Opposition Leader Alex Borg have entirely different benchmarks that will measure just how successful their voters think they were in this contest, there is little doubt that there will be some very nervous gatherings tonight.