Sunday, February 17
Lawrence Gonzi tells a PN mass meeting in Żebbuġ that Labour wore a sparkling mask “but behind it everything is rotten”.
Joseph Muscat pledges, at a Labour mass meeting in Naxxar, to “clean up politics”.
Dr Muscat refers to a story in The Sunday Times, which said oil trader George Farrugia, who was granted a presidential pardon, had been under investigation for tax fraud since 2011.
Alternattiva Demokratika chairman Michael Briguglio says outside Parliament that 2,000 first preference votes in one district is enough to elect an AD MP.
Monday, February 18
Lawrence Gonzi says at a PN activity in Valletta that voters should not try Labour for the sake of trying something different as the country’s economic future may be put at risk.
Dr Muscat says a Labour government would focus on exploiting markets outside Europe and trying to attract new airlines from non-European destinations.
Tuesday, February 19
Letters published by the PN show that Joseph Muscat knew about the drugs case revealed in secret recordings of Toni Abela.
Lawrence Gonzi, visiting Giovanni Curmi School in Naxxar, says the Labour leader must explain why he had not reported the case to the police and why he had not told the truth.
Dr Gonzi expressed his “profound disappointment” at the arraignment of former Enemalta chairman Tancred Tabone in connection with an oil scandal.
Dr Muscat tells a Labour activity in Żurrieq that the PN’s latest billboard, which depicts him and Dr Gonzi with a painted red and blue face respectively, sent out a “tribal” message.
AD chairman Michael Briguglio says AD in Parliament would propose legislation to lower the prices of medicine.
Wednesday, February 20
Joseph Muscat sidesteps a question by The Times regarding the different versions given by him and Toni Abela over what he knew about a drugs case at a Labour Party club. Dr Muscat was asked whether his and Dr Abela’s positions were still tenable.
Lawrence Gonzi, Joseph Muscat and Michael Briguglio take part in a lively debate at Mcast. Labour supporters arrive early in the day, packing the auditorium and thus preventing many Nationalists from attending.
Thursday, February 21
Labour’s financial administrator, Joe Cordina, suspends himself from his party’s post and withdraws his electoral candidacy after Tonio Fenech says he was one of three directors of Intershore Fiduciary Services Ltd, which at the time of the alleged oil corruption scandal was the sole director responsible for Aikon Ltd, the company owned by rogue oil trader George Farrugia.
Mr Fenech says he is to sue the Labour Party over allegations that he received a €5,000 gift from Mr Farrugia.
Three Labour Party candidates, Evarist Bartolo, Manuel Mallia and David Farrugia Sacco, file a criminal complaint against Austin Gatt who said they were three Labour “links” to what he suspected was a frame-up linking him to the oil scandal. Dr Gatt had filed a police report against the three candidates alleging a plot.
Lawrence Gonzi says at a Tarxien PN activity that he took offence at Mcast students shouting “shame on you” during a party leaders’ debate. He says: “Shame when we were in a college that Labour had closed down but which we revived because we believed in it?”
Joseph Muscat says during a visit to the Malta Council for Science and Technology that a Labour government would reappoint Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando as chairman of Malta’s science council.
Friday, February 22
Tonio Fenech tells a press conference that rogue oil trader George Farrugia never told police he gave a gift to the finance minister, “let alone one costing more than €5,000”.
The European Commission forecasts Malta will achieve economic growth of 1.5 per cent in 2013, the second best in the eurozone.
Lawrence Gonzi is welcomed at the Paola mosque by Imam Mohammed el Saadi, who thanks him for financially supporting the Muslim school and for helping the Libyan people during the revolution.
Joseph Muscat, at a Labour activity in Victoria, thanks Joe Cordina for resigning, and describes him as a victim of the PN’s attacks. He says Tonio Fenech had twice contradicted himself on the oil scandal.