r/malta

I genuinely don’t get it.

The people who refuse to vote are often the same people who say they’re disillusioned with the two-party system. But instead of voting for a third party to express that frustration, they abstain entirely, which is basically the best possible way to preserve the status quo.

I notice people spending five years demanding a viable third party. And then, when one finally appears, they scrutinize it to death looking for reasons not to support it. Suddenly it’s “not enough female candidates,” or “I don’t like their clothes,” or “their hairstyles are weird.” The standards become impossibly high in a way they never are for the major parties.

Ironically, a lot of young people fall into this category, even though they’re arguably the biggest victims of the current duopoly and the intergenerational inequality it has produced.

Some say “the voting system needs to change.” Sure, but why would it? The current system works perfectly for the two major parties. They have zero incentive to reform it unless voters actually start backing alternatives.

Another argument is: “By not voting, I’m sending a message.” What message exactly? That you’ve opted out? Nobody in power is losing sleep over non-voters. Abstaining isn’t some powerful act of protest. Politically, it’s mostly invisible.

Then there’s the classic: “Nobody deserves my vote.” Honestly, if you can’t identify even one candidate or party closer to your values than the others, that says more about your standards of engagement than about the entire political landscape.

And finally: “Small party candidates can’t get elected.” Well yeah, with that attitude, of course they can’t.

For me, voting for a smaller party isn’t only about whether they win seats immediately. Sometimes it’s about supporting people who actually represent your values and encouraging alternatives to grow. It’s a way of saying: “This is the direction I want politics to move in.”

Honestly, I see it as gratitude. If someone gives me the rare opportunity to vote for something I genuinely believe in, I’m going to support that.

Whenever streets are closed, do they ever give notices? Like telling locals, ambulances, fire trucks? Literally anyone who might need to pass? Or is it just a road closed sign with no message?

The place is in Birkirkara It does not look like the spanish flag. Neither does it look like Senyera (which google AI suggested) because senyera has 9 stripes and this looks like it has 6. The google maps link to this location is: https://maps.app.goo.gl/vGbwwCBQp9p9ffWY8

https://preview.redd.it/ze622h8vig2h1.png?width=604&format=png&auto=webp&s=2b37f8f01e311ae2fce9337f010ba553bd0b17c1

​Hey everyone,

​I just completed my VFS appointment yesterday (Tuesday, May 19) at the Wafi Mall center in Dubai for a Long Stay National D Employment Visa.

​My application is backed by an Approval in Principle (AIP) letter from Identità (issued mid-April) and a signed contract with AX Hotels Operations Plc to work as a House Attendant. I also opted for the premium SMS and courier return services at the center.

​The VFS staff mentioned the standard timeline is about 6 to 8 weeks, which puts my realistic collection window around mid-to-late July. However, because AX Group is a highly reputed and large employer in Malta, I’m wondering if anyone has experienced a smoother or slightly faster verification process because of employer legitimacy?

​Realistically, is there any chance of getting the passport back by mid-or-late June, or is the embassy in Abu Dhabi strictly sticking to the 6–8 week queue due to the peak summer rush?

​Would love to hear from anyone who recently applied for a work visa from the UAE or is currently working with AX Hotels. What were your actual timelines from submission to passport in hand?

​Thanks in advance

Every time I have a package they just put a slip in mailbox saying they tried to deliver but couldn't and I have to go pick it up. But they didn't actually try. No one buzzed my apartment. I was home. Do they ever actually try to deliver things or do they always just write a paper saying they couldn't?

Any recommendations for sprayrr for car roof? Doesn’t need to be perfect. Car just costs around 2000 so not trying to spend for a perfectionist, just someone with good cheap prices.

Thanks!

And before people get mad, there ARE things I really like here. The Maltese people have honestly been great to me overall, the weather is amazing most of the year, and the sea is incredible. Swimming here is probably one of the best parts about living on the island.

But ...

Everything feels insanely overpriced. Restaurants and cafés charge crazy prices everywhere now, not even just in tourist areas, and half the time the food or service is just average at best. Rent is ridiculous too considering what you actually get.

And seriously, how does such a tiny country have public transport this bad? The buses are constantly late, packed, random, or just don’t show up properly. Traffic is horrible basically all the time. I’ve travelled around quite a bit and Malta genuinely has one of the worst public transport systems I’ve experienced in Europe. Only Albania was worse for me honestly.

What I really don’t get is why the government keeps pushing fuel subsidies instead of properly investing into infrastructure and public transport. Like would Maltese people actually be THAT upset paying a bit more for fuel if it meant having reliable buses, less traffic, cleaner streets and a country that actually feels organised in the long run? Because right now the whole thing feels super short-sighted and not future-proof at all.

And the dirtiness honestly shocked me when I moved here. So many streets just lined with black trash bags everywhere. Sometimes it genuinely feels like you see more garbage bags than trees or plants. And where is the greenery? Most urban areas just feel like endless concrete and cars squeezed into every available space.

Another thing that honestly surprised me is the political culture here. Sometimes it feels less like politics and more like football rivalry. People screaming party chants, acting hostile the second you criticise “their side”, and almost zero openness to actual debate. From the outside it genuinely feels like the two big parties mostly just throw money and benefits at voters and whoever promises more wins gets support. Freebies here, subsidies there, handouts everywhere. Is this really what politics here has become? And how are more people not upset about it?

And honestly my experience with the healthcare system here was probably the final straw for me. I had to deal with Mater Dei and the whole experience felt chaotic and completely disorganised. The hospital felt understaffed, but somehow there seemed to be security personnel everywhere acting bossy instead of actual attentive medical staff. Nobody really seemed compassionate or interested in properly dealing with my situation.

I got bounced around between different departments and personnel constantly and it honestly felt like nobody wanted responsibility for my case. They couldn’t even give me a follow-up appointment for two weeks, which resulted in multiple unnecessary trips back to Mater Dei. In the end the experience got so frustrating and stressful that I literally flew back home just to get proper treatment, which obviously wasn’t ideal at all.

And honestly that’s what makes the whole thing so frustrating. I REALLY WANT to like Malta. I really do. The country has so much potential and there are genuinely things I’ll miss. I’d actually love to come back in the future. But with the way things currently are the infrastructure, overdevelopment, dirtiness, traffic, healthcare experience and overall lack of long-term planning and I just can’t see that happening.

Do Maltese people actually feel frustrated by these things too or have most people just accepted that this is how the country works now?

EDIT: the main point of this wasnt to say that the main problem i have with Malta are expensive restaurants. That was more of rant on my side and is of a very subjective opinion.

EDIT2: for more context i came here for a study/work internship and most of my time lived in Msida and Pietá. I come from central Europe - I have dual citizenship between Austria and the Czech Republic and lived in both countries for long periods.

Hi, do you know if there are any big drugstores or cosmetics shops* in Malta? My last visit there I couldn't find any, only regular pharmacies, but I was staying on Gozo.

*I mean like Rossmann, Boots, Etos, not necessarily Sephora

Not sure if anyone faced something similar?

Context: I'm renting for quite a number of years. Guy shows up at 9pm knocks on door. Shows pics of the apartment I'm staying at (old pics) with Quicklets logo on them. He was being very friendly. He starts a conversation mentioning he wants to move in the area and if I'm vacating soon. How many bedrooms the property has? Obviously didnt answer his queries. He asks if he can see the apartment, I politely refused. He left. Not sure if this is part of a scam or something else.

I am asking this question as quite frankly I feel that I have a gap in my knowledge and it would be nice to have a civil discussion. I believe that in an ideal world, yes, our parliament should be home to more than 2 parties. However, for the upcoming election, I think that PL will win the majority, and IF a third party gets a seat, it would still not be enough for a coalition with PN to get the majority (excuse my poor vocabulary).

In this scenario mentioned above, how would a third party be able to manifest the proposals they are promising? Would it end up being another voice silenced by the majority? I look forward to reading your thoughts and learning!

This morning at 6.15am I booked a taxi on the bolt app from birkirkara to attard. The ride was smooth, no traffic no detours. The ride cost €8.90.

After 3 hours I get €2.20 deducted from my revolt, I went to complain with Bolt and got a refund.

After 8 hours the original charge on revolut went from €8.90 to €11.10.

I tried to complain but the bot keeps telling me that I got refunded and no human came to talk.

I feel that is very deceitful from bolt overcharging by over 25% from the original fee with no traffic or detours.

Going forward I would highly recommend people to start paying in cash only and don't leave your credit card details on bolt because they can take money out and change the amounts as they feel.

Checking if this igaming company has any issues internally and if they lay off people often etc. I am not willing to risk losing my job just for some extra pay from my current job. Other than that, any info about how its functions internally? Micromanagment, forced OT, anything really?

https://reddit.com/link/1tigksc/video/ohvo1cqdi92h1/player

Historically, Malta's high turnout in voters wasn't fueled by healthy civic debate, but by partisan politics.

For decades, the two major parties engineered a "with-us-or-against-us" mentality.

When final turnout was locked at nearly 93% in 2013 and close to 92% in 2017, the major parties had zero incentive to innovate.

The drop to 85.63% in 2022 shattered that mathematical certainty.

The trend points downwards and is obviously a signal to the political class that they have to work hard to convince the electorate.

In this May 2026 election I expect turnout to continue lower towards the low 80s, maybe 81% or 82% at max.