Labour’s electoral campaign, which will kick off within a month, will be one based on unity and change and not on fear and division, party leader Joseph Muscat said last night.

This, he said, had been agreed during a meeting between the party executive, MPs and candidates who all agreed that the party’s campaign should be filled with positive energy.

Dr Muscat said he was glad to see a team spirit during the meeting as all those present realised the importance of the task ahead of them now that the election date had been set for March 9.

Speaking during a press conference at the Labour Party headquarters, he again criticised the Nationalist Party for having sent anonymous leaflets to civil servants warning them of potential transfers if Labour were elected.

He said the PN’s claim that it selected addresses at random from the electoral register was a “flimsy” excuse.

Civil servants, he said, had nothing to fear. “You may disagree with us, but you will be able to work with us,” he said, saying he would personally guarantee this.

Confirming an agreement between the parties for the electoral campaign to start on January 7, Dr Muscat said he had told this to President George Abela earlier in the day during a meeting on the issuing of the electoral writ.

He said that political billboards would be covered up during the Christmas period.

Labour, he insisted, remained the underdog in this campaign.

Given that the Government did not have a caretaker role, since the writ had not yet been issued, he hoped it would not enter into long-term commitments and promise favours.