Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi went on the offensive in a debate with Labour leader Joseph Muscat, concentrating on illegal immigration and free healthcare as the European election campaign enters its final week.

Chaired by the deputy editor of The Sunday Times, Herman Grech, the debate was recorded last Thursday at the studios of timesofmalta.com in Valletta. It is the first political debate on the internet between the leaders of the main political parties.

The opposition leader appeared the more relaxed of the two, possibly after being advised to be less aggressive following the debate with Dr Gonzi on Bondiplus last Monday.

Both leaders expressed concern over voters' threats to stay away from the polling booths on Saturday, with Dr Gonzi admitting that a massive defeat for the PN was possible if Nationalist supporters desisted from voting on Saturday.

On the other hand, Dr Muscat said Labour had difficulty in convincing the more Eurosceptic supporters to go out and vote and said it was an illusion that his party could win four out of the six seats.

He also said that Labour had learnt a lesson from last year's election "not to count the chickens before they hatch".

"My focus is June 6 and not one minute beyond," Dr Muscat said, when asked whether there would be Labour supporters carcading in the streets.

Dr Gonzi refuted Labour's accusation that he lost control after having to respond to questions on the future of free primary healthcare when a report suggested fees could be charged for some medical services.

However, Dr Muscat said the Prime Minister could not claim credibility when, after winning an election on the promise that healthcare would remain free, the government failed to include this principle in the terms of reference for the report authors. Dr Gonzi admitted the report was discussed by Cabinet but reiterated that the government did not agree with the recommendation that health centres should be closed and that healthcare should come at a cost for patients.

The Prime Minister also distanced himself from calls by one of his own MEP candidates to implement sanctions against Libya over its handling of the illegal immigration phenomenon.

"I am not bothered that he says that but I have no hesitation saying that this is not the road to take in the current circumstances," Dr Gonzi said.

He also described the contrasting views of various PN candidates as forming the different colours of a rainbow.

On the issue of divorce, anthropologist Mark-Anthony Falzon asked Dr Muscat whether in a free-vote he would be voting according to his conscience or in favour of the civil right.

"I will vote with a clean conscience in favour of civil rights," he answered. The calm and civil exchange also had its lighter moments with both leaders extolling each other's virtues. Dr Gonzi said the new Labour leader brought a different approach to politics to his predecessor Alfred Sant, while Dr Muscat highlighted the Prime Minister's resilience in winning last year's election.

Watch the debate on timesofmalta.com.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.