The MLP electoral commission said today it was standing by its decision for the party leadership election candidates not to take part in the edition of Xarabank which will discuss the election.

It also insisted that the producers – Where’s everybody – may not broadcast features they had prepared on some of the candidates.

The commission said it discussed the issue yesterday and noted that the producers were not prepared to change the format of their programme.

“While the presenter has every right to retain the format of his programme, the MLP and the electoral commission have a right to safeguard and take decisions in the interests of the party,” the commission said.

It claimed that the programme would not have observed the principles of equality, justice and transparency between the candidates.

Programme presenter Peppi Azzopardi strongly rejected that claim and insisted the commission was not saying the truth.

He said that two months ago the producers contacted all the candidates and invited them to take part in a “day in the life” feature. Three of them – Joe Muscat, George Abela and Evarist Bartolo accepted, and the features were prepared. The other two, Michael Falzon and Marie-Louise Coleiro, refused.

Was it fair, he asked, that because two had refused, the features on the other three were not broadcast?” This, he warned, could have serious implications for journalists in general. It meant that anybody who did not want a discussion to take place could think he could stop it by simply refusing to take part.

Indeed, he added, WE, as far as was possible, was preparing its own features on Dr Falzon and Ms Coleiro-Preca.

As for the programme format, Mr Azzopardi said that rather than a debate between the candidates, what WE had proposed was a one-to-one interview with each candidate without an audience. But even this was turned down.

“The question which has to be asked here is why the discrimination against Xarabank when the candidates have taken part in interviews with the same format on other programmes?,” Mr Azzopardi said.