Former Nationalist Party leader Eddie Fenech Adami this evening addressed the last PN meeting of the election campaign, saying he accepted prime minister’s invitation because he believed that the correct way forward for the country was to retain the PN in government.

He started off by recounting his very first steps in policitics some 52 years ago in a Birkirkara corner meeting with no more than a few dozen present, drawing a contrast with the huge crowd present on the Floriana granaries, remarking that the PN remains the only party capable of leading the country forward.

Dr Fenech Adami said that the PN has always believed in its vision and expressed his satisfaction that this dream has come through. In a strong message to endorse his successor, he congratulated Dr Gonzi for his achievement in spite of all the difficulties of the last five years. “I thank him for these 10 years during which he led party and country forward," he said to shouts of "Eddie, Eddie", reminiscent of his time as PN leader and Prime Minister.

Touching on present circumstances, he said that with Lawrence Gonzi at the helm, the country has a secure future. The former prime minister said that the PN never compromised its principles, and always believed that justice will prevail, borrowing a slogan from the 1987 general election. He saluted former PN leaders from Nerik Mizzi to George Borg Olivier.

He urged the electorate to respond the PN’s call, and vote for continuity and prosperity. In his concluding remarks he expressed his conviction that the PN is capable of taking the country forward in the next years.

While some have described this unprecedented move as a last ditch attempt by the PN to persuade undecided and disgruntled PN voters, others believe it can swing the balance in the party’s favour and seal a historic fourth consecutive victory at the polls.