Former Prime Minister Alfred Sant who is still a member of parliament will not be contesting the next general elections, but will be contesting the MEP election in 2014.
Dr Sant has already informed the deputy leader for party affairs Toni Abela about his decision, through a letter.
A copy of this letter has been sent to The Malta Independent. Contacted, Dr Abela confirmed that he had received the letter but would not give any further comments at this stage.
The former Labour leader said that he will be still fully committed to dedicate his services to the party in the coming months, which will mark the end of this legislature.
In the letter, Dr Sant said that it would be in the best interests of the party for him not to contest the next general elections. But it is his intention to be a candidate for the next European Parliament elections.
Dr Sant was against Malta's membership in the European Union, with the Labour Party preferring a partnership instead. But the Labour stand was defeated in a referendum held in March 2003, which was followed up by a victory for the pro-Europe Nationalist Party a month later. Malta joined in 2004.
Dr Sant was Labour leader between 1992 and 2008. After the 2008 election, he resigned in the wake of a third consecutive election defeat for his party. He was succeeded by current leader Joseph Muscat.
He was Prime Minister between 1996 and 1998 in a shortlived Labour government.
Contacted by The Malta Independent online, the head of the Nationalist Party delegation to the EP Simon Busuttil said that Dr Sant's decision to contest the EP election was a great victory for the Nationalist Party. "We have convinced the most skeptical of people on EU membership," he said.
In a statement, the Nationalist Party said that Alfred Sant’s decision to contest the MEP elections is another wrong choice for the Labour Party and leader Joseph Muscat.
“(The decision that Muscat) wants to send Sant to the European Parliament to speak on behalf of the Maltese nation shows how euro-sceptic the Labour Party still is. Muscat and Sant led a campaign against membership because they wanted to keep Malta out of the EU. When the Maltese people voted in favour of membership, Muscat and Sant celebrated the victory for partnership.”
The director and main actor against EU membership, the PN said, have now come up with another act. Sant and Muscat had done all their best to deny Maltese youths and workers the many opportunities that EU membership brought with it. They did not want Malta to get funds to carry out public projects such as the building of arterial roads.
The decision taken by Muscat for Sant to be in the European Parliament is a confirmation that Muscat chooses badly and the Labour is still euro-skeptic, the PN said. It is therefore not a surprise that Muscat was unable to convince the Socialist group, it added, not mentioning on what but making a clear reference to the fact that the majority of Socialist MEPs voted against the nomination of Tonio Borg as EU commissioner.