The right of 16-year-olds to vote in the local council elections was the first step towards granting them the vote in general elections, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said yesterday evening.

Addressing young voters and candidates in Floriana, Dr Muscat appealed to those aged between 16 and 18 years of age to cast their vote on Saturday.

Young people should join the government in writing history, he added.

Whether they were voting for Nationalist or Labour candidates, youths should exercise this right, which went beyond partisan politics.

Speaking at The Granaries surrounded by young candidates, he said some 2,500 new jobs would be created through several projects announced in just four weeks, which would see a total of €460 million being invested in the country.

The Opposition leader has become so transparent, he has become invisible

In just one year, he added, the government had reduced unemployment among youths by a third.

Speaking in another political activity at Santa Luċija earlier, he said Simon Busuttil could run away but could not hide from the “works-for-votes” racket.

“The Opposition leader has become so transparent, he has become invisible. The last time the leader of the Opposition appeared in front of the media was the Saturday following Our Lady of Sorrows day,” he said to applause.

Dr Muscat said he hoped Dr Busuttil was not planning to remain in hiding for the next three years, after evading the media for nearly two weeks. He criticised him for “avoiding journalists”, saying he had a lot to answer for over the “work-for-votes” affair.

This attitude, he said, was a trait that Dr Busuttil had picked up when he abstained from the Civil Union vote in Parliament last year and when he did not turn up for the vote on the introduction of the Gender Identity Act last week.

For the second time in a year, the Opposition leader had missed an appointment with the country’s history. Dr Muscat insisted that on Saturday, people would not just choose who they wanted to administer their locality but also choose between optimism and negativity.

People had to decide whether they wanted the government to continue to implement its programme or a negative Opposition, whose leader was confirming he had nothing to offer.

“Those who do not vote on Saturday would be doing [Dr] Busuttil a favour,” he said.