Scores of people surrounded Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi and his wife Kate as they made their way round the Rabat open market yesterday morning.

Some stopped to shake his hand and wish him well in the election, others even asked for an autograph.

One woman was gushing after shaking the Prime Minister's hand, saying she was not aware he would be at the market that morning.

Her hand tucked under her husband's arm, a smiling Mrs Gonzi accompanied the Prime Minister as he made his way through the crowd surrounding them to speak to a number of hawkers. People cheered and applauded as he walked along the street amid shouts of "Gonzi, Gonzi".

Speaking to the media afterwards, Dr Gonzi said the visit had given him the opportunity to not only meet market hawkers but also consumers, whom he described as having money in their pockets.

He referred to the incentives that the government had introduced for the self-employed, including a reduction in licence fees, which had now made in to the Labour Party's electoral manifesto. The MLP's slogan for the upcoming election - A New Beginning - was strange, he said, because it mentioned measures which had already been introduced.

Both at Rabat and during a public discussion at Siġġiewi right afterwards, Dr Gonzi spoke about the fiscal proposals he unveiled last week, which would translate into benefits for everyone since it would leave more money in people's pockets and boost the economy.

The government had worked closely with the Chamber for Small and Medium Enterprises to introduce packages aimed at reducing the burden on workers, and these had brought results.

Everyone was in favour of these proposals, bar the Labour Party, he said, urging undecided voters with a leaning towards the MLP to analyse what Labour was promising them. He reminded them that back in 1996 the MLP had promised to remove VAT, only to replace it with a heftier tax following the election. "We need to be careful of what the MLP is telling us," he said.