Still second order? The 2024 European Parliament election in Malta

Abstract

This article examines the fifth European Parliament election since Malta joined the European Union through the lens of second-order election (SOE) theory. Drawing on party manifestoes, media, citizens’ priorities, electoral results, and preference transfers under single transferable vote system, we assess the extent to which the campaign and outcomes were shaped by domestic rather than European political dynamics. Campaign debates and media coverage were overwhelmingly domestically framed. Turnout remained high by EU standards but lower than in national elections. While the governing party experienced losses, small parties and independent candidates performed better than in national contests. Overall, the Maltese case provides support for SOE theory, while highlighting the growing role of abstention and ballot exhaustion as channels of second-order protest.