Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi this morning adopted a wait and see position as to what will happen should the vote on the no-confidence motion result in a tie on Thursday morning. 

Speaking at the end of a visit to the Giovanni Curmi Higher Secondary School at Naxxar, Dr Gonzi did not want to go into the merits of what would happen should Nationalist MP Franco Debono abstain.

Asked if an abstention by Dr Debono would be enough to give him with the clarity he asked for last Sunday, Dr Gonzi said he would not speculate. The debate was on-going and one should await Thursday's result before taking the decisions best suited for the country, he said.

With regard to his meeting with Dr Debono last Sunday, Dr Gonzi said this was a cordial meeting, but it was inconclusive. He played down claims that Dr Debono had been asked to sign a document which included a list of conditions, saying this was all speculation.

He said that Dr Debono was not the problem. The problems the country faced were creating and safeguarding jobs. That was the government's priority.

During his tour of the school, Dr Gonzi met a number of students, who applauded  the Prime Minister and asked various questions, though not about the current political crisis.

Replying to the questions, Dr Gonzi reiterated the government's three-pronged strategy for energy – the extension to the Delimara power station, the cable linking Malta to the Sicilian grid and alternative energy.

When visiting the biology and chemistry labs, Dr Gonzi spoke about the government's Biopark  project and the need for greater awareness of science subjects.