‘I’ll support anyone except PM Gonzi’

Nationalist backbencher Franco Debono said yesterday he would support anyone but Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi to lead the government.

If Dr Gonzi does not resign, the MP said yesterday, the only alternative would be a general election.

Addressing a one-and-a-half-hour press conference in Parliament’s library, Dr Debono said the Prime Minister should reconvene Parliament now – it is officially scheduled to meet again on January 18 – and call a vote of confidence.

The MP reiterated he will not support the current administration led by Dr Gonzi, which he described as having “poor democratic credentials”.

On Friday, Dr Gonzi told TVM programme Xarabank he was not prepared to emulate former Labour Prime Minister Alfred Sant’s decision to call a vote of confidence in 1998.

Dr Debono latched on this statement yesterday, accusing the Prime Minister of being “irresponsible and insensitive to what an elected MP was saying”.

“I am telling him he has lost my support and it is irresponsible of him not to put a stop to this instability, triggered by government’s bad decisions, by recalling Parliament and asking for a vote of confidence,” Dr Debono said.

Asked whether he wanted to take Dr Gonzi’s place the MP answered with a plain “no”. He also said it was up to the Nationalist Party to decide what it wanted to do with his candidature but ruled out resigning his parliamentary seat.

“I will not resign. Why should I? It is the Prime Minister who should resign,” he said.

Dr Debono lashed out at the Prime Minister for having increased ministers’ wages behind Parliament’s back in 2008 – a decision Dr Gonzi reversed on Friday – and for voting against the divorce law contrary to people’s wishes.

Answering questions from journalists, Dr Debono said that some seven months ago he had spoken to the President about his dissatisfaction with the way the government was being run and the Prime Minister knew about this.

The MP used yesterday’s press conference to list all his grievances about the lack of reforms in the justice and home affairs sectors, issues he has been speaking about for the past three years.

He also defended his method of doing things, accusing the Prime Minister of inaction despite agreeing with his numerous proposals.

“After 1987 and all that Pietru Pawl Busuttil passed through when he was framed by the police, a Nationalist government had not introduced the right to be assisted by a lawyer.

“I talked about this and made my voice heard but it only came into being in 2010 when I did not turn up in Parliament to vote. There is no other method to be heard.”

Dr Debono took umbrage at the Prime Minister’s remarks that he was an ambitious man “acting like a child”.

“Is it childish to speak of important democratic reforms? Talking about jobs and factories is important but man does not live on bread alone and having a strong democracy is as important.”

Using the child label, Dr Debono said he was irked by the new Justice Minister Chris Said’s message soon after being appointed on Friday soliciting his help to carry out reforms in the justice sector.

“Chris is my friend but the Prime Minister chose him and he should carry out the reforms himself. I am nobody’s child and I will not be holding his hand.”

Dr Debono reiterated his criticism that Dr Gonzi had turned government into an oligarchy by retaining the same group of people in Cabinet despite some of them having failed to perform.

What happens next?

To call or not to call an election? This is the question many are asking. Kurt ­Sansone presents the likely scenarios ahead.

Nationalist backbencher Franco Debono has said he will no longer support government in Parliament. Does this mean an election has to be called?

No, at least not yet. An election will have to be called if government loses a vote of confidence in Parliament or does not garner majority support for a money bill, such as the Budget. Alternatively, the Prime Minister has the prerogative to ask the President to dissolve Parliament and call an election.

Who asks for a vote of confidence in Parliament?

Any of the MPs can table a motion in Parliament asking for a vote of confidence. Last year, the Opposition had tabled a motion of no confidence in Transport Minister Austin Gatt, which was defeated by the Speaker’s casting vote after Dr Debono abstained. Immediately after, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi tabled a motion of confidence in government to ascertain he enjoyed parliamentary majority. The vote of confidence passed as Dr Debono voted with the government.

The Prime Minister has said he will not seek a vote of confidence. What happens now?

Parliament officially reconvenes after the Christmas recess on January 18. An emergency session can be called before that date and this is what Dr Debono and Opposition leader Joseph Muscat are asking Dr Gonzi to do.

Technically speaking, Dr Gonzi runs no risk until January 18 of losing a vote because Parliament is in recess and so there is no practical urgency to seek a vote of confidence at this stage. There are other considerations though, such as the instability caused by political turmoil, which will weigh down heavily on the Prime Minister as the days roll on.

What if the Prime Minister does not seek a vote of confidence after Parliament meets again?

It depends on what Dr Debono does in Parliament when Bills or motions come to the vote. If the MP lives up to his declaration that he will not support the government, then Dr Gonzi will have to seriously consider his next move. In any case, the Opposition, or for that matter Dr Debono, may decide to table a motion of no confidence in government.

What happens if government loses a vote of ­confidence?

An election is the next logical step and the Constitution says that if the Prime Minister does not, within three days of losing the vote, resign or advise the President to dissolve Parliament, the President may dissolve Parliament of his own accord.

What happens if the Prime Minister decides to go for an election even before a vote of confidence is called?

The President will take the Prime Minister’s advice and dissolve Parliament paving the way for an election to be held. In very unlikely circumstances the President may, if there is an alternative option and if dissolution “would not be in the interests of Malta”, refuse to dissolve Parliament. But this is not normal Constitutional practice.

What happens if the Prime Minister resigns his office?

The country cannot remain for long without a Prime Minister. According to the Constitution the President may dissolve Parliament if there is no prospect of him being able, “within reasonable time”, to appoint to that office “a person who can command the support of a majority of the members of the House of Representatives”.

What happens if Dr Debono resigns his parliamentary seat?

A by-election will be held to fill in the vacant seat. Government’s one-seat majority will be restored without the need to seek an election. But Dr Debono may also give the Speaker notice that he will no longer sit with the government in Parliament and instead serve as an independent, in which case he will be legally sitting on the Opposition benches.

In this scenario, and if Dr Gonzi refuses to go for an election, the government will have to seek the external support of the Opposition or Dr Debono to pass legislation.

The Opposition leader has asked the Speaker to recall Parliament urgently to determine whether government still enjoys a majority. What does this mean?

Constitutionally it means nothing because the Opposition has not given notice of a formal motion of no confidence. However, it is a political move by which the Opposition is seeking an early recall of Parliament to keep up the pressure on Dr Gonzi.

When is the earliest that an election could be held?

The shortest period from when Parliament is dissolved and the election is 33 days. This is what happened in 2008 when Parliament was dissolved on February 4 and the election held on March 8. The longest period between dissolution and an election is three months.