The Prime Minister is expected to dissolve Parliament on Monday and call a general election for March 8, The Times learnt yesterday.

The law stipulates a minimum of 33 days between the dissolution of Parliament and election day, which is exactly the window available to the Prime Minister if he acts on Monday.

The writ for the local council elections, which should be issued at least two days before the general election date is announced, was published in the Government Gazette yesterday. The local elections will also be held on March 8.

Nationalist Party sources told The Times, that Lawrence Gonzi is expected to call on President Eddie Fenech Adami informing him about the dissolution of Parliament and election day some time during Monday morning.

The party's strategy group, the PN sources said, had been waiting among other things, for the first public performance of Labour leader Alfred Sant before taking a final decision.

The Sunday Times was the first to reveal that a March 8 election was being targeted, just as both parties seemed to be firing up their electoral machines, propping up billboards and intensifying door-to-door activity.

None of the PN or Labour's general secretaries would be drawn to make any definitive comments about the news.

"Naturally, I cannot confirm what the Prime Minister will or will not be doing on Monday but if he does call it on Monday we are ready and have been for a while now," PN general secretary Joe Saliba said.

His counterpart at the MLP, Jason Micallef, also said he will not comment before the Prime Minister "finally makes the announcement officially". "I think this toing and froing has created a lot of unnecessary uncertainty which is also why I believe the people will be voting for change," he said.

The way to the 11th Parliament

Shortly before making any public announcement about the election, the Prime Minister will be meeting the President who, in turn will issue a writ to dissolve Parliament and inform the Electoral Commission on when to hold the general election, which will form the 11th Parliament since independence.

The commission will then have three days within which to publish notices saying where and when it will receive nominations of candidates. The candidates will have to submit their nomination in writing and be backed by at least four voters for each district contested.

All those whose names were carried in the Electoral Register last October, an estimated 300,000, will be eligible to vote. The commission is bound to send them a voting document within 19 days from the publication of the election writ.

The electoral system is based on the principle of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote, with five MPs being elected from each of the 13 electoral districts.

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