Prime Minister Joseph Muscat on Tuesday skirted around questions about his long-term political future and was non-committal on whether he will indeed be resigning from the role of Prime Minister before the next general election.

Muscat has in the past said that he would not stay on longer than two legislatures, and there had been rumblings that he would be stepping down at some point before or during next month's budget.

These rumours were however quashed by Muscat himself last Sunday, when he said in a radio interview that he would not be leaving the post of Prime Minister neither before, nor during, nor after the budget.

He made no reference to his political future in the long term, and was similarly silent about it on Tuesday, despite being directly asked whether he would still be resigning before the next general election or whether he had changed his mind.

"I am fully focused on the budget.  What I said is very clear; I will be working not only on presenting the budget, but on implementing it", Muscat said.

Pressed further on whether he is implying that there had been a change of heart, Muscat simply insisted that he is saying nothing other than that he will be working on the budget and will remain working on it.

Queried why there was this lack of clarity on the subject given how to the point he had been in previous instances, Muscat said "I am always clear - I will say again - the budget will be done, and I will be here before it and after it".

The Prime Minister assertions come after the race for his post had seemingly started to hot up, with Deputy Prime Minister Chris Fearne, Transport Minister Ian Borg, and Tourism Minister Konrad Mizzi all trying to leave positive first impressions before the leadership race is officially called.

Video: Alenka Falzon