The Nationalist Party will call an extraordinary general conference on Thursday to discuss and approve its manifesto, which is a declaration of its principles and values and on which it will base its electoral programme.

Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi told party activists during a new year reception yesterday that the manifesto outlining what the party stood for had been discussed by the party’s executive on Friday evening.

He insisted this was not the party’s electoral programme but simply a “framework” on which the party would design its programme with “concrete proposals”.

Dr Gonzi said the party’s main priority during the campaign would be to inform the electorate about the choices before it. He said the party had to “explain its principles, priorities and vision” for the future and convince people that it should be trusted again with leading the country.

“This is what we will be doing in the coming weeks. Explaining calmly and serenely our work and our vision of where we want this country to go in the coming months and years,” he said.

Dr Gonzi said the guiding values upon which the PN would be basing its electoral programme remained the creation of work, continued investment in education and health.

He confirmed that the party will kick off its electoral campaign with a mass rally at its headquarters tomorrow evening, hours after President George Abela signs the writ to dissolve Parliament.

Sources told The Sunday Times that the PN’s first activity of the electoral campaign will be the launch of a new website.