'Don't waste your vote', says PM

Prime Minister Eddie Fenech Adami yesterday urged people not to waste their vote, stressing that the Nationalist Party needed to obtain an absolute majority of votes in the election to ensure it will be in government.

Interviewed by Dr Georg Sapiano during a party activity in Zabbar, Dr Fenech Adami denied that any political agreement had been reached with Alternattiva Demokratika.

He confirmed he had met AD's leadership and they explored the possibility of reaching an agreement.

What they had agreed on was that this time round there was a need for the PN to be in government again and not to miss the chance to join the European Union.

But the PN did not agree with many of the policies contained in AD's electoral programme.

Dr Fenech Adami stressed that every vote not given to the PN would hinder the party from winning power again. The party needed an absolute majority to ensure it would govern.

He said that according to the Constitution, a party needed 50 per cent of the votes plus one to have a guarantee of a majority in parliament. If the PN did not get 50 per cent plus one, there would be no guarantee of governability.

He urged people not to waste their votes, stressing that he was not speaking out of disrespect for the other candidates contesting the general election. "I am saying this so that everyone will recognise the reality."

Dr Fenech Adami challenged Labour Party leader Alfred Sant to say how he intended to make up for the Lm106 million that he would lose if he won the next election - the Lm81 million in funds from the EU and the Lm25 million deficit increase that would result from his income tax holiday proposal.

Dr Sant had come up with the proposal because he was in a state of panic, realising he was losing votes but not winning any, Dr Fenech Adami said.

The Labour leader, he said, could not continue to avoid answering these questions. Dr Sant often said that if elected he would reduce EU related expenses. "I want him to be specific. We enacted a significant number of laws to modernise the country and create certain structures and authorities to upgrade the country's administration. Dr Sant now has to be specific by saying which entities he intends to dismantle.

"For instance, is he planning to dismantle the Occupational Health and Safety Authority? Will he dismantle the Malta Communications Authority, which has overseen the liberalisation programme and which has ensured that consumers benefit from huge reductions in the price of telecommunications services especially in the mobile telephony sector?"