Nationalist Party leader Simon Busuttil tonight said that if the PN has managed to narrow the gap between it and the Labour Party, it will gain the electorate’s trust once more.
Addressing a press conference in the presence of all newly elected candidates, Dr Busuttil said that the PN has managed to narrow the gap to the PL by half, but it is also aware that there are many more that it has yet to persuade. The result of the local council election, he said, has filled the party with determination and courage to strive further. “Let us remember that while the Government was playing home, the Opposition was playing away,” Dr Busuttil said.
“I expect the newly elected councillors to work for the best results they can, even if they are members of councils led by a Labour majority. We need an opposition that does not only criticise, but also proposes. The Nationalist Party needs to present itself as the alternative to the present government.”
“We have realised that we only gain people’s trust by being close to them, listening to their aspirations and by sorting out issues of the past. It is clear that the public’s trust in the government is waning following the series of scandals which have plagued it, which has proven that the PL has completely put aside its pledges for meritocracy, transparency and accountability.
“We are also aware that we started with a deficit of 36,000, but we have managed to get half way there after only two years, if not one – because the PN did not do well during the MEP elections last year,” he said.
The PN has managed to increase its support by 4%, while the PL has decreased its own by the same percentage. The party has also managed to gain votes in localities which are Labour strongholds, including Marsaxlokk, Birzebbuga, Zurrieq, Hal Kirkop, Santa Lucija.
It also managed to increase advantage percentage in localities such as St Julian’s, Attard, Balzan, Swieqi and San Lawrenz in Gozo.
The PN has also gained majority in two of the biggest councils - Mosta and St Paul’s Bay and elected more candidates in a large number of localities.
The Labour Party previously had 30 more candidates than the PN, but that number has now gone down to 15, he said.
21% of the elected Nationalist candidates are women; however Dr Busuttil said that he will continue working to increase this percentage. Young people make up 37% of the elected candidates.
“During the counting on Saturday, the PL said that the gap will increase to 17,000 but instead, this decreased to 11,000.”
Compared to 2012, the PN has managed to gain 14,000 votes. He said that the party was losing votes as early as 2004, and has now managed to turn things around.
Asked about the decrease of votes in Gozo, Dr Busuttil said that an analysis has already started to evaluate the reasons for such change in what was once a PN dominated island. He said that factors might include the hunting referendum, the €200 million investment announced by the government prior to publishing the expression of interest and the campaign against former minister Giovanna Debono just before the elections. “I do promise that the PN will not put Gozo aside,” Dr Busuttil said.
‘We expect a concrete action plan to stop the Mediterranean Sea from becoming a cemetery’
In the wake of the tragedy in the Mediterranean, Dr Busuttil said that such incidents should not be happening at all. He said that the Opposition is willing to provide all the support the government requires and that it awaits concrete action to stop the Mediterranean Seas from becoming a ‘cemetery’. There should be naval assets that replace the Italian mission Mare Nostrum, which was halted.
“We do not expect Italy to carry the weight on its own; however, we expect an operational programme that prevents further deaths. There also needs to be a concrete action plan to combat the million-dollar business of human trafficking. The European Union has managed to eradicate piracy in Somalia, and through fair sharing of responsibility, this can also be addressed adequately,” he said.