Non-voting : beyond tradition, mobilisation and partisan alignment

Abstract

There are some signs that, within Maltese society attitudes may be changing as citizens become more critical and distrustful of political parties and representative forms of democracy. Internal efficacy further reduces external efficacy, explaining non-voting amongst the cognitively mobilised. Apart from abstention, such cognitive mobilisation is reflected in a more rational assessment of parties through increased floating and cross-party voting, as well as increases in non-electoral forms of political participation. Although abstention is not likely to contribute towards any plausible critical realignments, non-voting along with these emerging patterns of behaviour indicates that Maltese society is progressing towards a more dynamic shifting of balance between dealignment and realignment forces, leading to a more multi-layered and iv destabilised political culture. Through its multi-faceted capacity, non-voting thus presents both evidence of partisan dealignment, as well as acts as a deviating course towards secular realignment. Counterbalanced by the nature of Malta's exceptional political culture, through generational replacement, non-voting along with other underlying trends of devolution - may presage a progressive and transformative shift towards political realignment forces which demand more responsive and accountable democratic systems and processes, and start, - 'dissolving' Malta's state of exceptionalism. Time will tell.