Prime Minister Joseph Muscat promises to begin the second reading in Parliament of the marriage equality act by Monday week, he said on a radio interview with One Radio.

He was questioned on the government’s short term priorities. Muscat said that the government’s first official cabinet meeting last Tuesday was a positive one, and believes that the mixture of people with fresh new ideas and others with solid experience has produced a strong team.

Muscat said that he also met with all MPs in order to set priorities for their agenda. He spoke of the maturity shown within the country as normality has returned to life.

“Yes, there were celebrations but Malta is now back to normality. This is something that shows the maturity of the country and the fact that work continued so smoothly is a testament to the direction taken by this government,” he said.

The Prime Minister revealed that this week, many meetings and developments took place that would see further investment coming into Malta.

Turning to planned Parliamentary work, he said that should the opposition agree, the deadline for the Parliament summer break would be extended to the end of July, because there are roughly 10 debates that have to take place about different entities. Muscat stressed that there is a precedent for this and that if the opposition does not agree, two or three parliamentary sessions a day have to take place in June in order for the government to meet its deadlines.

Muscat said that the plan was to have the marriage equality bill passed through parliament by the summer recess.

“I think this cabinet is very strong, and the parliamentary group is unified. Our strong team will push this government’s ambitious agenda. It is ambitious even on a parliamentary level. Next week, this legislature is formally launched in parliament by a speech delivered by the President. As from the following week, parliamentary debates will begin.

“We have a strong electoral mandate and want to deliver on what we promised. We also want full equality in Malta,” he said on the importance of the marriage equality bill.

The Prime Minister congratulated all fathers as they celebrate Father’s Day with their children. 

Muscat, in a meeting which took place earlier this week with President of the women’s section of the Party of European Socialists Zita Gurmai and leader of the PL women’s section Claudette Abela, he said:

“This government got elected through the strength of a manifest that promotes equality, and we will see this strengthened through facts in the shortest time possible”.

He discussed the possibility of quotas for a more balanced parliament, the implementation of a 40 per cent minimum representation of women on government boards.

The regulation and decriminalisation of prostitution, and the legislation for recreational marijuana use was also discussed.