A view from Colorado

Eight months in...Malta impressions grow, from The Tribune in Northern Colorado:

Now that we have lived in Malta for eight months, some of our perspectives have changed. In our third article, we commented on issues facing Malta. They haven't gone away since last November, and we have experienced some new ones, but we have also found other reasons to admire the smallest country in the European Union.

Politics and bureaucracy are synonymous in Malta. It recently held its national elections, something that takes place every five years. One issue debated feverishly was the graft and corruption of MEPA, the Maltese rendition of a planning commission. Simple applications for permits have waited months (if not years), while expensive high-rises and tourist resorts received the stamp of approval in a matter of weeks. Both major parties, the Nationalists and Labour, vowed to clean up this agency, which seemed to function based on the amount of money changing hands -- theirs included.

For centuries, hunters have had the freedom to kill just about anything they wanted, including migratory birds on the endangered list. We listen to the gunshots every morning right outside our bedroom window. The EU has had to step in and threaten sanctions unless Malta does something about the problem. This, too, became a giant political issue in the campaign.

The Maltese treat their national elections as we treat our Super Bowls, with a 95 percent participation rate among qualified voters -- citizens 18 and older. The rallies were tumultuous, with traffic backed up for miles. Each city and village had fireworks displays to back the favored party. We were advised to call off school the day following the announcement of election results (like a snow day in Colorado).

Needless to say, we kept the gates to the school grounds closed as we watched trucks, buses, cars and motorcycles parade past the villa -- and we're not on the outskirts of any heavily populated areas. The Nationalist prime minister was re-elected by 1,000 votes, which were hand-counted. And guess what? There was no recount...