Infrastructure Minister Austin Gatt has denied that he will not seek re-election because of some conflict with the Prime Minister.

"Lawrence Gonzi is not only my Prime Minister, but a true friend, and my loyalty to him is unconditional, not because it is blind, but because I know that he had made the country and the party proud," Dr Gatt said.

"Dr Gonzi did what no other Maltese politician has done. He led the Nationalist party to a third victory," Dr Gatt said.

In a statement issued in reply to a front page story in today's l-orizzont, Dr Gatt reiterated that he took his decision during the last general election in 2008.

It was therefore not true, he insisted, that the decision was motivated by trouble within the Nationalist Party.

It was also 'a lie' to claim that matters escalated over the BWSC power station extension issue, the minister said.

Dr Gatt, who made his announcement in an interview to The Sunday Times, said he had spent the past 30 years doing his best to ensure that the ideals of the Nationalist Party triumphed, and he would continue to work hard, one election after another, to ensure that the PN remained victorious.

Although he would not be a candidate at the next general election, he would be at the forefront within the party to help the PN win again, Dr Gatt said.

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