The next leader of the Labour Party would inevitably have to face a new leader of the Nationalist Party at the next general, leadership candidate Robert Abela said on Wednesday.

Addressing a crowd of supporters in his home town of Qormi, he said the current leader of the opposition would not last much longer in his role. 

“You can’t see only the situation as it is today but you have to think about how it might be in two-and-a-half years. I’m sure the Nationalist Party is making its own calculations as to which candidate it would be easier to win an election against,” he said. 

“Think about which candidate has the strongest chance of fostering unity in our party and think about which candidate has the potential of reaching out to the widest variety of people in our society,” he said in an appeal for votes.

Dr Abela told supporters that he was the underdog but despite swimming against the current, he drew support by being simple and honest in what he had to offer. 

He criticised media reports that misrepresented his statements and statements of other Labour Party officials in his regard, saying one of the first reforms he would implement as prime minister would be at the Public Broadcasting Service.

He went on to say that he would not allow anyone to manipulate the office of the prime minister nor would he stand for people who thought they could pull strings from the shadows.

Referring to a fire that broke out earlier in the day at the Marsa open centre, Dr Abela said he was displeased to hear about the incident as he has been speaking of migration issues for a long time.

He said he had been branded a racist and a xenophobe for “using the language of the people of Marsa”. 

Dr Abela said he understood that there were genuine asylum cases but expected the welcome and respect shown to migrants to be reciprocated and not taken for granted by bad apples “starting fires and holding protests for no reason”. 

Dr Abela urged unity and said he would work to implement Labour Party proposals that would make medicine free for pensioners.