Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi yesterday afternoon presented the Nationalist Party’s offering for the 8 March election, comprising 76 candidates contesting 112 parliamentary seats.

Speaking before the candidates at a press conference at the PN headquarters, Dr Gonzi commented how the group assembled represented virtually every walk of life and social and economic sector on the islands.

26 new candidates are on the list, there are 11 women and nine young candidates. The only PN parliamentarians not contesting the upcoming election are former parliamentary secretary Antoine Mifsud Bonnici and Speaker of the House Anton Tabone.

But in both cases, the baton is being passed down to the next generation, with Mr Tabone’s son and Dr Mifsud Bonnici’s daughter both signing up for the contest.

With 15 and 14 candidates each, the ninth and 11th districts are respectively the most represented by the PN, while the second district counts just four PN candidates.

“The PN is proud of the team it has assembled,” Dr Gonzi commented. “This time we have more women and a good representation of young candidates. The candidates we are presenting embody our message that ‘Iva, flimkien kollox possibli’’ (Yes, together everything is possible).

“Yes”, Dr Gonzi said, is the key word in the slogan. “8 March will represent the fifth anniversary since the Maltese people said “Yes” to European Union membership. Other politicians had said “No”, only later to change their minds, whereas we have been consistent throughout.

“Together with the team assembled behind me, everything is truly possible. Many had said joining the European Union was impossible, that adopting the euro was impossible but, working together, we have made both feats possible.

“This team believes in the potential of the Maltese people and in the fact that we can not only sustain but further develop and better what we have done so far.”

The PN, he said has presented new goals for a “new adventure” to be embarked upon over the next five years, with which Malta will be able to compete and rise to future challenges on the horizon.

From the income tax cuts announced in the economic stimulus package to the environmental proposals to the PN’s investments in education so that no child will be left behind, Dr Gonzi said, “we will succeed together as a country, and not fail together as some would have it”.

“I am disappointed by the Malta Labour Party’s absolute lack of political substance,” Dr Gonzi commented. “And its proposals for guiding the country through the next five years – from its reception class proposal to shop and small business owners seeing nothing to their advantage from the MLP’s proposals – are clearly worrying people.”

The proposals to halve the electricity surcharge, Dr Gonzi said, was yet another example in which the MLP is confusing people by changing its mind week after week. Now all of a sudden, he said, the MLP’s promise to halve the surcharge does not apply to shops and small business owners.

In addition to already having taken on the burden of half the surcharge, the PN has assisted some 30,000 families with the surcharge by applying reduced rates or removing the surcharge completely. The MLP’s proposal, Dr Gonzi said, would simply see people using more electricity so that the whole of the Maltese population ends up paying for the measure.

Moreover, Dr Gonzi added, the MLP’s mudslinging is damaging the country.

The allegations of corruption from the Labour camp, he said, were “typical of MLP leader Alfred Sant”.

Dr Gonzi insisted that every allegation of corruption that has come the government’s way over the last legislature has been forwarded to the police commissioner or the competent authority for investigation.

“Why hasn’t the MLP gone to the police commissioner with their allegations?” he questioned.

Questioned by a One TV journalist, brandishing a photograph of Roads Minister Jesmond Mugliett sharing a meal with architect Robert Sant, whether he sees anything wrong with the “intimate” relationship, Dr Gonzi replied, “This is typical of the MLP strategy. If they had real concerns, they could have gone and could still go straight to the police commissioner, who would investigate the allegation.”

That Mr Mugliett shares a commercial partnership with Mr Sant, who is a consultant on the Manwel Dimech Bridge project, is one of the opposition media’s main sticking points.

“Why should a photo of two people eating together mean corruption? Has this country stooped so low that I could not even have a coffee with someone without being accused of collusion or corruption?”

Referring to his pledge to take the reform of the Malta Environment and Planning Authority under his wing as prime minister in the next legislature, Dr Gonzi also made a concrete statement that he would be relinquishing the Finance Ministry, which, he said, would be handed over to a specific minister.

After long discussions, including talks with Environment Minister George Pullicino, Dr Gonzi said it had been determined the measure was needed if Malta was to see a real breakthrough in the area of sustainable development – an area that touches upon each and every ministerial portfolio and that as such it could not be handled by any single minister.

Mr Pullicino, Dr Gonzi added, had even suggested as far back as in his university thesis that the area should be handled directly by the prime minister.

“This is the same as I had done for the economy as Finance Minister and for tourism as head of the inter-ministerial group on tourism,” he added.

The Electoral Commission said 50 candidates submitted their nominations for the general election yesterday, and one candidate withdrew, bringing the number to a total of 260 candidates. 104 candidates submitted their candidature on Monday and 107 on Tuesday.