Joseph Muscat came to power in 2013 with a majority of 36,000 votes. You would think that would see him through swimmingly until 2018.

But now he is going to call a general election a year ahead of time, after four years instead of five. Why?

His electoral boasts have begun: the economy is doing so well. But if the economy were doing so well, then it would take him through comfortably until 2018 and another electoral victory.

Prime Ministers do not call a general election a year ahead of time, and shave a whole year off their term in government, because things are going well. They do it because things are going badly, or set to explode.

The election is going to be held now because Muscat and his henchmen want a fresh mandate to govern before whatever it is they know will happen does happen. They are so worried about this thing, whatever it is, that they are going to sacrifice a whole year of the power they love so much in order to obtain another five years of it.

We need to know what this thing is that they fear so much that they want it to happen after they are re-elected to another term in government, and not before.