Nationalist Party Leader Alex Borg ended a mass meeting in Sliema with a direct apology to former Nationalist voters who had drifted away from the party, saying the PN had “done a lot of good” during its years in government but had also “made mistakes”.

Addressing supporters days before the general election, Borg said he wanted to bring disillusioned Nationalists back to the party and urged them to “vote for change”.

“Those Nationalists who we hurt, because during those 25 years we did a lot of good, but we also made mistakes. I am sorry to those people,” Borg said. He added that from the first day of his leadership, one of his goals had been to reconnect with those former supporters.

Borg framed the election as a turning point for the country, telling supporters that Prime Minister Robert Abela had called the election a year early believing the opposition would be unprepared.

“Robert Abela thought he would find us on the wrong foot,” Borg said. “But the Nationalist Party is prepared, determined, and full of energy and proposals.”

Borg repeatedly described the PN as “an alternative government” and said the party had built its electoral programme around ideas gathered from the public during the campaign. He appealed particularly to younger voters, saying he felt a “personal responsibility” to give them a better future.

Among the key proposals referred to during the rally were tax cuts that Borg said would leave at least €1,200 annually in people’s pockets, the removal of tax on COLA increases, and the abolition of succession tax and taxes on donations.

He also pledged a 30% reduction in energy bills from January if the PN is elected to government.

On healthcare, Borg promised the construction of four new hospitals and the expansion of the Paola Hub, while arguing that previous Nationalist administrations had a proven track record of investing in healthcare infrastructure, including Mater Dei Hospital and the Gozo General Hospital.

Education also featured prominently in the speech. Borg said a Nationalist government would build a new school every year and increase stipends for post-secondary and tertiary students by 25% from next October.

Borg also promised investment in Gozo connectivity projects, including upgrades to the Mġarr and Ċirkewwa ports and the introduction of a new passenger vessel for the Gozo Channel fleet.

On transport, Borg criticised the government over what he described as inconsistent plans for a metro system, noting that Labour had initially proposed an underground metro before shifting to an above-ground model.

“We have a fully-fledged plan of how we are going to deliver the metro,” he said, adding that work would begin within the first 100 days of a PN administration.

Borg said the studies had already been completed and implementation would take place over five years, with shadow finance minister Adrian Delia ready to include the project in the national budget.

Borg also outlined measures aimed at addressing overpopulation and labour migration, including the creation of a one-stop shop for employers handling work and residence permits.

For pensioners, he pledged annual pension increases of €650 and promised that elderly people would be entitled to free home visits from a doctor of their choice. He also said cancer medication would become completely free under a Nationalist government.

Borg appealed not only to traditional Nationalist voters but also to disillusioned Labour supporters. He highlighted four candidates who had switched from the Labour Party to the PN and praised what he described as their “courage”.

Closing the rally, Borg urged voters to take responsibility for the country’s future ahead of the election in six days’ time.

“The future of our country is in your hands,” he said. “Be the authors of the destiny of our country.”