Former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat will be addressing a campaign rally of Labour MEP Alex Agius Saliba on Saturday even as he keeps the country guessing on whether he will be a candidate for the European Parliament elections himself.

The rally will be held under a large marquee at City Gate. It will also be addressed by Foreign Minister Ian Borg, Economy Minister Silvio Schembri and former prime minister and outgoing MEP Alfred Sant.

Muscat addressed small activities to endorse various candidates before the last general election, but Saturday's event is by far the biggest since he stepped down as prime minister and Labour leader in January 2020. 

The former prime minister's attendance was announced by Labour broadcaster and close Muscat associate Manuel Cuschieri, who in January sparked speculation of a return to politics by Muscat when he asked his listeners whether they wanted to see him as a candidate at the European Parliament election.

Preparations at Tritons Square in Valletta for the Agius Saliba rally on Saturday.

Muscat subsequently told MaltaToday that he could not exclude running for the election but insisted this was not something that could be decided quickly and not a decision that could be taken lightly. 

"I cannot say what will happen. It was not on my priority list because nowadays I have my own private practice but on the other hand, I cannot ignore the people. My friend Manwel Cuschieri put spokes in my wheel, in a friendly way obviously," he said at the time.

Late last month Cuschieri claimed that Muscat had said 'yes' to becoming an election candidate. Muscat himself subsequently told Times of Malta that 'nothing had changed.'

No formal announcement was made. Times of Malta has sought comment from Muscat.

Cuschieri urged his listeners on Wednesday to attend Saturday's rally at 7pm to support and encourage Muscat in view of the question he had asked his listeners in January. "Your presence would be a message to Joseph Muscat, also in the interests of the Labour Party," Cuschieri said. He said he would make a similar announcement should other candidates hold a similar event. 

On February 24 Times of Malta reported that according to a Labour Party poll, Labour would win June’s European elections by more than 40,000 votes over the PN if Joseph Muscat was on its list.  

At least 20,000 Labour voters who claimed to be planning to abstain said they would go to the polls if the former prime minister was on the ballot sheet, according to the poll.

The former prime minister resigned in disgrace in 2020 in the wake of the Daphne Caruana Galizia murder revelations and has been dogged with claims of corruption since. 

Muscat was an MEP between 2004 and 2008 but then returned to Malta from Brussels to succeed Alfred Sant at the helm of the Labour Party.