DIRECTDEMOCRACYS

Global Political Organization — Authentic Direct Democracy

POLITICAL PROGRAM,

ECONOMIC, FINANCIAL

AND SOCIAL

FOR MALTA

Critical Analysis of the Current Situation • Concrete Solutions • A Just Future

June 2026

In the Maltese language — Official Edition

PREAMBLE: A MESSAGE TO THE MALTA PEOPLE

The Maltese people thrive in a country with a history of external domination, national pride, a beautiful culture and a rapidly growing economy. But beneath the visible success lies a thin shell ready to crack: structural corruption, land speculation, overtourism, income inequality, and a democracy that in practice serves an old oligarchy.

DirectDemocracyS (DDS) did not come to offer another empty promise. It came to implant a system in which political and economic power remains in the hands of the entire people — not in the hands of parties, clients, or foreign investors. Every member is a single and equal owner. Every decision goes through a transparent, verifiable, and unmanipulated process.

This document analyses Malta's real problems — with data, examples and consequences — and offers a detailed, feasible, and fair programme. It is not a manifesto. It is a work plan.

PART I — CRITICAL ANALYSIS: THE CURRENT SITUATION

1.1 The 2026 Electoral Upheaval: Four Labour Terms and the Democratic Paradox

On 31 May 2026, Robert Abela's Labour Party won the fifth consecutive election, with 51.77% of the vote and 36 seats in Parliament — an unprecedented historical record. Alex Borg's Nationalist Party obtained 44.68%. The turnout was 87.42%.

This victory appears to be a sign of stability. In fact, it is a sign of structural danger: when one party wins four elections in a row, institutions begin to function as instruments of power rather than guardians of the people. The balance of power is lost. The opposition risks becoming symbolic. And democracy, in the eyes of the citizen, becomes a formality.

• Problems identified from the 2026 election:
• Corruption was not a main theme in the campaign, despite serious reports from the Council of Europe and Transparency International.
• The electorate voted for 'economic stability' while house prices and inequality grew.
• The opposition alternative presented a new face (Borg, 30 years old) but without a different structural program.
• Alternative votes (AD+PD and others) grew but remained insignificant in the current proportional system.

1.2 Corruption: A Chronic Disease Not an Accident

Malta has fallen to 65th place in Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index in 2024 — its worst position in its history. More than 90% of citizens perceive corruption as a widespread phenomenon according to Eurobarometer surveys.

The assassination of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia in 2017 exposed the melting away of institutions: the nexus between planning authorities, government, and the building industry is systematic and ongoing. The €150 million fines on illegal developments decided by the Court of Appeal are an insult to democracy. €16.5 million in planning fines have gone unpaid and unenforced.

• The 'Planning Authority' is full of political appointees who approve almost every building project.
• The 'revolving door': officials who approve developments today work with developers tomorrow.
• Laws 143/144 of 2025 — a 'developers' wishlist' — were only partially halted after massive protests.

1.3 The Housing Crisis: A Country Sold to Its Citizens

The price-to-income ratio of property in Malta reached 14.5x in 2026 (it was 7x in 2000 and 11x in 2020). A two-bedroom apartment costs fourteen and a half times the average annual wage of a worker.

95% of Malta is classified as urban. Every new tower is permanent. Every heritage building demolished will not be rebuilt. The planning authority sanctioned an illegal development in Sannat (Gozo) with a €150 fine after the Court of Appeal ruled it was illegal. This is not a regulatory system — this is a permitting system.

• Housing cost index for one person: 17.3% (record high, Eurostat 2024).
• Malta's population has increased by 25% since 2015 — from 400,000 to more than 563,000 in 2025.
• Malta is the most densely populated EU state, with enormous pressure on infrastructure.

1.4 Overtourism: Unfairly Divided Wealth

Malta received nearly 4 million tourists in 2025 — a 54% increase from 2019. During peak season, the total population reached 652,000 people on the tiny island. Water resources, roads, public spaces, and heritage sites are unsustainably strained.

Profits from tourism go largely to investors and large corporations — while local workers earn low wages in the sector. Residents pay taxes that maintain the infrastructure used by the tourist masses.

• The government's target of 4.5 million tourists in 2035 will compound the problem.
• Environmental impact: vulnerable coastal areas, damage to marine ecosystems, endangered biodiversity.

1.5 Traffic, Environment, and Quality of Life

Traffic costs Malta €274 million per year in lost productivity and illnesses due to toxic emissions. Young people between the ages of 18 and 34 identify traffic as their number one problem. Overbuilding, lack of green spaces, and the construction of hotel and apartment towers on every corner weaken national identity and reduce the quality of life.

• 3% of citizens identify overcrowding as the biggest concern.
• 3% identify traffic as the secondary concern.
• Malta's cultural and natural landscape is being irreversibly destroyed.

1.6 Economic Inequality and Social Infrastructure

Malta's economy grew by 4% in 2025, but the growth is not guided by principles of distributive justice. Energy subsidies have been criticised by the EU for not protecting vulnerable households and not encouraging the transition to clean sources. Public debts have reached €11.4 billion.

The health and education sectors are suffering from rapid, unplanned population growth. One public hospital (Mater Dei) serves the entire country. Waiting lists are getting longer. Doctors and nurses working in the public sector feel under unsustainable pressure.

PART II — THE DirectDemocracyS SYSTEM: BASIS AND PRINCIPLES

2.1 What is DirectDemocracyS and How Does It Work?

DirectDemocracyS (DDS) is a global political organization based on five fundamental principles that cannot be compromised:

• Collective ownership: each official member has one, non-transferable, equal share.
• Shared leadership: power is not in the hands of one individual or one group, but spread across a fractal system of microgroups.
• Direct, full, immediate, continuous, and protected democracy: every decision is made by the informed vote of the members, not by representatives acting alone.
• The riches of every country remain forever and only in the hands of its people.
• Truth, logic, common sense, study, and mutual respect are the foundation of every decision.

2.2 The Fractal Model of Microgroups

DDS organizes members into microgroups of 5 people. Each group of 5 microgroups (25 people) forms a secondary level group. Each group of 5 (125 people) forms a tertiary group, and so on: 1→5→25→125→625→3,125 and beyond.

Each Malta microgroup can be organized according to local communities: village, district, city. The specialized groups — those of economy, health, education, environment, and justice — work parallel to the territorial structure.

A concrete example for Malta: Malta with 563,000 residents could form almost 113,000 primary micro-groups. The active participants by 2028 (target: 50,000) represent a democratic tool without precedent in the island's history.

2.3 ddsAI and allddsAI: Artificial Intelligence in the Service of Democracy

DDS would be the first political force in the world to integrate Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems as official members with defined rights and duties — the allddsAI project. The ddsAI phase informs groups with factual, neutral, and independent data, replacing information with the biases of traditional media.

Specifically for Malta, ddsAI will offer:

• Updated information on the state of the environment, the housing market, traffic, the economy, and the health sector — without political filters.
• Analysis of legislative proposals in the Maltese Parliament, with non-partisan technical comments.
• Maltese language translations of EU documents affecting Malta.
• Identification of conflicts of interest in planning approvals and public contracts.

2.4 The Three-Code System: Secure and Private Identity

Each DDS member receives three unique codes: an anonymity code (which protects public identity), a verifiability code (which confirms real participation without revealing identity), and a reliability code (which accumulates merit according to expertise and contribution).

This innovation solves the fundamental problem of digital democracy: how to vote without broadcasting one's identity, and how to ensure that each vote is unique and real, with a level of security greater than current banking systems.

PART III — POLITICAL PROGRAMME

3.1 Constitutional and Democratic Reform

3.1.1 Direct Democracy as a Constitutional Right

DDS proposes a constitutional amendment establishing the right of citizens to a binding referendum on any law affecting fundamental rights or the management of national resources. Any law approved by Parliament can be suspended or revoked by a petition of at least 15,000 signatures (3% of the electorate) within 90 days of approval.

Example: Laws 143/144 of 2025, which limited planning appeal rights, could have been automatically suspended with a petition of 15,000 signatures, rather than based on street protests.

3.1.2 Term Limitations and Political Anti-Monopoly

DDS proposes: a maximum of two terms (10 years) for any executive political office. A ban on political appointments in regulatory bodies (planning authority, public media sector, judicial institutions) with the replacement by technical and meritocratic procedures run by plural boards.

Predicted consequences: reduction of structural corruption, regeneration of institutional trust, and more responsible behavior of politicians who know that their position is not permanent.

3.2 Anti-Corruption: A Structural System, Not a Particular Companion

3.2.1 Independent Anti-Corruption Agency (AIKA)

Establishment of a new agency — the Independent Anti-Corruption Agency for Lands (AIKA) — with an exclusive mandate and separate from the Government, Parliament, and the Planning Authority. Its members are appointed by a vote of the citizens' assembly on proposals from professional associations and civil society.

AIKA would have the power to: monitor and publish all planning decisions with real data; order the immediate halt of any development that violates court rulings; and coordinate with Europol and OLAF in cases of cross-border corruption.

Concrete example: The case of Sannat, Gozo — a fine of €150 following a judicial decision — would not have been possible if AIKA existed with the power to intervene immediately.

3.2.2 Total Transparency of Public Contracts

Every public contract over €50,000 is published on a freely accessible online platform, with data on: who won the contract, how it was selected, what is the total value, and what are the results. The DDS platform (ddsAI) automatically analyses any anomalies and flags them for civic verification.

3.3 Planning and Housing Reform: Land for the People

3.3.1 Moratorium on the Construction of New Towers

Immediate five-year moratorium on new building permits above seven storeys in existing residential areas. Limited exceptions: public infrastructure only (hospitals, schools, clean energy stations).

The goal: End speculation in a market driven by developers with privileged access to political power. Malta doesn't need more towers — it needs more gardens and public spaces.

3.3.2 National Affordable Housing Fund (NAHF)

Establishment of a National Affordable Housing Fund redeemed from the tax on shares of property holdings and the tax on the sale of property for more than €500,000. The fund finances the construction of 2,000 public housing units per year, with rents fixed at 30% of the median income of the tenant.

Concrete example: A two-person family with a median income of €30,000 per year would pay no more than €750 per month in rent — not the €1,400 or more that is the current market rate.

Predicted consequences: Reduction of private market prices by 25% over 10 years, due to competition from the public sector and reduction of speculation.

3.4 Environmental Reform: Malta is not for sale

3.4.1 Legal Protection of Natural and Historical Heritage

A new law establishing permanent protection areas that cannot be changed by any future government without a national referendum with a qualified majority of 60%. These include: the Gozo countryside, non-urban coastal areas, registered national heritage sites.

3.4.2 National Sustainable Mobility Plan

Investment of €500 million over 10 years in: free or symbolic public transport (€0.50 per bus), a network of bicycle lanes spread throughout Malta (400 km), and car-free zones in Valletta, Mdina, and Birgu. Taxis gradually replaced by public electric vehicles.

Expected consequences: Reduction of private cars on the road by 40% over 8 years. Savings of €100 million per year in health costs related to environmental damage. Reduction of CO2 emissions by 50% in the transport sector over 12 years.

PART IV — ECONOMIC PROGRAM

4.1 Economic Diversification: Beyond Tourism and Gaming

Malta's economy is overly dependent on two vulnerable sectors: tourism (exposed to crises such as COVID and instability in the Middle East) and online gaming (exposed to EU regulatory changes). DDS proposes an ambitious diversification strategy:

• Blue technology: Malta as a European research centre for marine energy, sustainable aquaculture, and marine technologies. Investment of €150 million over 5 years.
• High-quality healthcare: Malta as a specialist healthcare destination in the Mediterranean, with private and public hospitals offering world-class services. Investment: €200 million.
• Circular and ecological economy: sustainable local manufacturing, advanced recycling, local food production as a partial replacement of excessive imports (Malta imports 80% of food).
• International education: Malta as a hub of universities and research institutions with multiple languages (Maltese, English, Italian, French) that attract students and researchers from across the Mediterranean.

4.2 Qualitative Tourism: Fewer Tourists, More Revenue

DDS proposes a structural change in tourism strategy: from 'volume' to 'value'. The target is not 4.5 million tourists but 2.5 million tourists with higher spending and lower environmental impact. This change will be achieved through:

• Progressive tourist tax: €5 per night for 3-star hotels, €15 for 4-star hotels, €30 for 5-star hotels. The revenue finances the maintenance of heritage sites.
• Capacity quotas: maximum number of visitors per month at sites such as Valletta, Ħaġar Qim, and Mdina.
• Promoting longer-term tourists: fiscal incentives for hostels and bed-and-breakfasts that welcome long-stay residents, which will be more spendable and have a lower impact.

Predicted consequences: Reduction of 1.5 million low-cost tourists while total tourism revenue increases by 15-20% through higher quality tourism. Dramatic reduction in environmental damage and congestion.

4.3 A Fair Fiscal System: Those Who Pay More, Pay More

Malta's tax system is also used by foreign companies as a 'tax shelter' through a tax refund scheme that refunds up to 6/7 of the tax paid. This results in an effective rate of 5% or less — expressly criticised by the European Commission.

DDS proposes fiscal reform in four lines:

• Abolition of the corporate tax refund scheme; replacement with incentives aimed at real investment in productive sectors (technology, manufacturing, clean energy).
• Wealth tax: 1.5% annual on net assets exceeding €2 million, with exceptions for active businesses.
• Property purchase tax by foreigners: an additional 15% on all property purchases by non-resident citizens.
• Income tax reduction for workers: gradually by 2030, the portion of workers under €25,000 per year will be completely exempted.

4.4 Malta's Wealth Remains in Malta

A fundamental principle of DDS: the natural and public resources of each country are the inalienable property of the people and should not be privatized, sold, or given away in concessions that take control away from the community.

Applied to Malta, this means:

• Public land is not for sale: only temporary concessions (maximum 30 years) with terms subject to public review.
• Every company that benefits from public resources (sea, heritage sites, infrastructure) pays a clear royalty into a public fund.
• The national power generator (Enemalta) remains public and is being renewed with investment in solar and marine energy.

PART V — FINANCIAL PROGRAMME

5.1 Responsible Management of Public Debt

Malta's public debt reached €11.4 billion at the end of March 2026 — €621.8 million more than a year earlier. The debt/GDP ratio is approaching 46%. The 2025 deficit was €995 million, higher than the government estimate of €849 million.

DDS proposes a financial framework based on three pillars:

• Productive spending: any increase in public spending must be justified by an economic and social impact analysis prepared by independent experts and approved by the DDS finance specialist group.
• Limited deficit: a deficit target of no more than 1.5% of GDP by 2030, through more efficient tax collection (not an increase in rates) and elimination of clientelistic expenditure.
• Sovereign Fund: surpluses in growth periods and income from property taxation go into a Sovereign Fund of Malta which invests in internationally diversified assets and generates passive income for future generations.

5.2 Total Budget Transparency

DDS proposes that Malta's national budget be made fully public in a format readable by the general public — not just in technical documents that no one understands. ddsAI's online platform offers:

• Interactive budget visualizations: how every tax euro is spent.
• Real-time comparison between estimates and actual costs.
• Automatic notifications to DDS members in the event of unapproved cost increases.

PART VI — SOCIAL PROGRAMME

6.1 Health Reform: Single Hospital, Non-Unique Resources

Malta has one main public hospital (Mater Dei) which serves over 563,000 people including tourists. The pressure on this hospital is intolerable. DDS proposes:

• Construction of two new regional hospitals: one in Gozo (completed and expanded) and one in the southern region of Malta, to reduce congestion at Mater Dei.
• Advertising doctors and nurses from EU countries with a competitive salary and a workplace in the natural heritage of the Mediterranean — effective competition with destinations such as Ireland and Portugal.
• Mental health program: every locality with a population of more than 5,000 people will have free access to a psychologist or community counselor.
• Health services in Maltese and English: equal access for all citizens, including the elderly who do not have digital access.

6.2 Education: The Competencies of the Future Today

The Maltese education system has a solid foundation but faces major challenges: adapting to the digital economy, including multiple cultural signatures (from an ever-growing migrant community), and preparing young people for jobs that do not yet exist today.

• Introduce critical thinking and civic education as compulsory subjects from the first to the last year of secondary school.
• Free digital literacy and artificial intelligence courses for all citizens aged 14 and over.
• Professional reconversion (reskilling) schemes for workers over 45 years of age who are facing automation.
• Bursaries for Maltese students who are able to study abroad with a commitment to return to Malta for at least 5 years.

6.3 Social Justice: Basic Income and Decent Work

DDS supports the gradual implementation of a Universal Basic Income (UBI) — part of DDS's global GUMI-SV program — adapted to the Maltese reality. The pilot phase (2027-2030):

• €800 per month for every Maltese citizen over 18 years of age who is looking for work or in a professional transition, with proof of job search or learning activity.
• Funded by the tax on speculative property purchases and by the income tax on online gaming companies that outsourced profits.
• Evaluated and reviewed every 12 months by DDS members specialized in the social economy.

Expected consequences: Reduction of relative poverty by 35% in the first three years. Stimulation of local consumption. Less pressure on existing social assistance services.

6.4 Integration and Immigration: Order, Justice, and Respect

Malta is a country of immigration in a dual form: foreign workers who have come to fill gaps in the labour market, and irregular migrants who arrive via Mediterranean routes. Both realities require different but equally structural responses.

• Regular foreign workers: a permit system based on the real needs of the sector (not pressure from entrepreneurs to lower salaries), with the right to research for more than 5 years in Malta (permanent residence) and mandatory Maltese language courses.
• Irregular migrants: humane treatment, immediate access to legal assistance, and coordination with the EU and the IOM (International Organization for Migration) for fair distribution between Member States.
• Prohibition of any labor exploitation: regular inspections, significant fines, and rapid redress for victimized workers.

PART VII — HOW DDS IMPLEMENTS THE SYSTEM IN MALTA

7.1 Implementation Phases

Phase 1 (2026-2027): Preparation and Base Building

The preparation phase is crucial and disciplined. DDS will not enter the Maltese electoral process until at least 500 active primary microgroups have been established in our country. Each microgroup will receive:

• Training on the DDS system, its principles, and digital tools (platform, ddsAI, three codes).
• Support from international DDS mentors through weekly video sessions.
• A set of informative material in Maltese: leaflets, short videos, presentations.

Announced activity: The start of leaflet distribution to the first microgroups is planned for May-June 2026 — already in the implementation stage.

Phase 2 (2027-2028): Public Presence and Local Elections

DDS presents candidates in the Maltese local council elections (the first electoral encounter). The aim is not to immediately seize power, but to show the population how a system of direct and accountable representation works at the local level — where citizens can foster their own experiences.

Foreseeable consequences: If DDS obtains at least 3 local councils, the model will begin to be mentioned in the Maltese media and traditional political personnel will begin to realize that the political reality is changing.

Phase 3 (2029-2031): General Elections and National Programme

With a base of 50,000 active members and 10,000 micro-groups, DDS presents a complete national electoral program — this document is the beginning of that program — and is contesting the general elections to the Maltese Parliament. The target is 15-20 seats in Parliament, enough to act as a counterweight and legislative pressure force.

7.2 The DDS Platform for Malta: How It Works in Practice

The DDS digital platform — not a commercial application like Facebook or WhatsApp, but a proprietary DDS system protected from manipulations — will be available in Maltese and English. It allows:

• Immediate vote on Maltese legislative proposals with technical explanations prepared by the ddsAI.
• Structural debate in microgroups: 5 people study the topic, debate within 72 hours, and submit the result of their deliberation to the higher-level group.
• Access to national statistics in real time: median income, house prices, air quality, hospital waiting times.
• Direct communication channels between DDS members and elected representatives, with a public record of every question and answer.

7.3 Protection from Disinformation and Manipulation

Traditional media in Malta — broadcasting, newspapers — is concentrated in the hands of a few operators with documented political links to the two main parties. DDS does not depend on traditional media: it creates its own media, through an independent YouTube channel, a Maltese-language podcast, a weekly newsletter, and short videos on social platforms.

ddsAI reports and analyses the content of these traditional media, identifies biases and informs members. DDS members received comparative information: what the traditional media said and what ddsAI's analysis showed.

PART VIII — CONCLUSION: MALTA CAN CHOOSE

Malta has an important path ahead of it. The concerns of the immediate present have always prevailed: economic stability, fear of change. But today's stability is built on a foundation that is in fact unstable: structural corruption, incentivized housing speculation, over-reliance on two sectors, destruction of the environment and heritage, and a democracy that in twenty-four years has given four consecutive terms to the same political force.

DirectDemocracyS is not a contradiction of what it was. It is the legitimate and structured alternative that helps the Maltese people take over the power they never fully had. Not through revolution, but through organized, informed, and protected participation.

The Maltese people are among the most enterprising, resilient, and creative in Europe. The history of Malta is a story of survival and hard work. DDS provides the framework — you do the rest.

"The power of Malta belongs to the Maltese — all of them, forever."

DirectDemocracyS — www.directdemocracys.org

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