Robert Abela kept the country guessing on the election date on Sunday while campaigning in election mode at Tarxien, repeatedly telling supporters that the PN wanted to take Malta to the past, while Labour was the future.

He announced that the government will refund IVF patients for expenses on medicines they incurred this year, until government procurement of the medicines they need is completed. 

He made no direct reference to the Sunday Times of Malta report that he was involved in a property deal with a man recently charged with kidnapping, but insisted that the government would not be distracted. He said the PN and its allies were sowing suspicions, but he had volunteered information and was ready to answer any questions. 

Abela has also been under pressure over contracts from government bodies he received before he became prime minister. 

Several hundred supporters turned up on Sunday, giving Abela an enthusiastic welcome.  

He said that 'when the time comes' the people would be able to judge his government not only on its track record but also on its plans for the future. "And we do keep our promises," he repeatedly insisted. 

He said seven out of every ten social measures announced in the budget have already been implemented.

"This government will keep giving to the people. We only took away one thing - taxes on work," Abela said.

He accused the PN of scaremongering and pointed to an  EU report saying Malta is set to see the strongest economic growth in the EU this year. 

In his address he also described Opposition leader Bernard Grech as being inconsistent and led by others. At a recent meeting to discuss the Citizenship by Investment Scheme, he said, Grech turned up alone and, in the presence of others, was surprisingly gushing in his praise of the scheme. Yet a few days later, he refused to be consulted on the appointment of a new regulator for the same scheme, saying it harmed Malta. 

 

PN welcomes refund for IVF patients

The Nationalist Party welcomed the refund on medicines spending announced by the prime minister for IVF patients, saying it was what it had suggested and what the government had taken too long to decide.