Gonzi defends pull-out decision

Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi yesterday admitted the Nationalist Party faced an uphill struggle at the upcoming local council elections but defended its last-minute decision to withdraw some of its candidates in two Labour strongholds.

"This group of localities has never been easy for us but we will do our utmost to mobilise people to go out and vote," Dr Gonzi told The Times.

Minutes before the deadline for the nominations for the local council elections last Saturday, the PN pulled out the nominations of four candidates in the Labour strongholds of Marsa and Zejtun. This meant that no elections would need to be held in the two localities, a move interpreted by the Labour Party as a feeble attempt to water down a landslide MLP victory in the March elections.

Dr Gonzi said that some of the tough decisions the government was forced to make would evidently have an effect on the party's popularity. "Still, if the government feels it's making the right decisions for the country, then we're prepared to pay a price for our popularity," he said.

Nevertheless, the PN's message for the electoral campaign was that the local councils were performing well, they were making a difference to society and that the electorate should choose the right people, he said.

Asked to comment about the MLP's claims that the PN had chickened out of the Zejtun and Marsa elections to avoid a humiliating result, Dr Gonzi said he could not understand what the fuss was all about.

"This is a strategy used in every election. We've had localities along the years where no election was held because the MLP or the PN didn't field enough candidates. It's normal and I can't understand why it should be so different this time.

"This is typical of a Labour Party which is constantly trying to cook up stories," Dr Gonzi said.