Updated - Adds PL reaction - Opposition leader Simon Busuttil said today that this year saw the PN gain credibility as it showed it was effective in its criticism.
Speaking at an end-of-year press conference at party headquarters, Dr Busuttil noted that the Opposition had forced the government to perform a number of u-turns or to alter its course of action.
Among them was the passports controversy where pressure had led the government to introduce the residency clauses.
The government had also made a u-turn on its decision to cancel next year's local council elections.
The removal of Home Affairs Minister Manuel Mallia had also come about after opposition pressure.
Asked about the fact that the PN did poorly in the European Parliament elections last May, the PN leader said that since then the party went back to the drawing board and made fresh plans to regenerate itself.
While acknowledging that the PN was not yet geared up and in a position to challenge the PL in a general election, he said this was an ongoing process aimed to give it dividends in three years' time.
Commenting on the next round of the local council elections, he said that the party had a "realistic" target saying that this was a Labour-leaning group of localities.
"Nevertheless we will do our utmost to persuade the people that the party is the right choice even at local government level," he said.
LABOUR PARTY REACTION
The Labour Party said in a statement Dr Busuttil was ending the year exactly as he started it - by being destructive and negative.
Such negativity was symptomatic of a head of a party who lacked control of his party, where the most extremist elements took the reigns in their own hands and this was seen in many occasions during the year.
The PN leader had shown double standards in a number of instances such as when speaking of honest politics but then defending George Pullicino on the case of solar panels and feed in tariffs, and in failing to say what action he would be taking about former minister Carm Mifsud Bonnici following the Kamara inquiry.