The possible defeat of the Budget tonight will bring about a collapse of the government, but this will still have been the longest legislature in 25 years, with the exception of Alfred Sant's 22-month government.
Every legislature since 1987 has been shorter than the present one.
Then Prime Minister Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici had, however, stretched out the controversial 1981-87 legislature to the last possible day, with the legislature having taken its full five years plus the three months allowed after Parliament was dissolved. The election was held on the last possible Saturday allowed by law - May 9, 1987.
Should the next general election be held on March 9, as is being speculated, it would be exactly five years and one day after the 2008 general election, held on March 8.
Nationalist MP Franco Debono is showing no signs of backing down from his promise to vote against the government tonight, denying the government its one-seat majority. The vote will be taken some time after 8.30 p.m, depending on how long Dr Debono takes to explain his vote (timesofmalta.com will be carrying live coverage). The government will survive if Dr Debono abstains, since the Speaker will use his casting vote.
The fact that the government may be brought down because of a defeat of the Budget will not be new, although the last time that happened was in the 1950s.
However the collapse of the government because of mutiny by one of its own MPs is far more recent and well remembered - in 1998 Dom Mintoff voted against Alfred Sant's Labour government in aa vote on the Cottonera yacht marina development which Dr Sant had linked to a vote of confidence.
DOWN MEMORY LANE
On June 23, 1950, the Legislative Assembly was dissolved after the government led by Sir Paul Boffa did not get approval for the Estimates for 1950-51. That vote had followed the split in the Labour Party which saw Boffa ousted from the Labour Party leadership by Dom Mintoff.
The instability continued in the minority government of 1950-51 initially led by Nerik Mizzi, who died in December 1950 and was succeeded by George Borg Olivier. The government was defeated in the House several times and collapsed in February 22, 1951, without having been able to pass a Budget.
Fresh elections were held in May 1951 and a coalition was formed between the PN and Boffa's Malta Workers' Party, with Dr Borg Olivier again at the helm. But this government was defeated in the Budget debate of October 9, 1953 when the members of the Malta Workers' Party and two members of the PN itself voted against the government.
Another PN-MWP coalition was formed after fresh elections in 1953 but the government collapsed in December 1954 when minister John Cole resigned from the MWP and voted with Labour in the Assembly.
A long period of stability in parliament followed, until 1998 with Dom Mintoff (again) abstained several times in the Budget votes moved by Alfred Sant's Labour government. Mintoff eventually caused the collapse of that government when he voted against a motion on the building of a yacht marina in Grand Harbour, a resolution which Dr Sant had tied to a vote of confidence.