A buoyant Opposition leader yesterday sounded a warning to the Labour Party, saying that Prime Minister Joseph Muscat was no longer “invincible” and that the Nationalist Party was “back in business”.
Simon Busuttil was speaking after the PN almost halved the 17 per cent gap that was registered in local elections three years ago. He said the PN had managed to increase its share of the votes by almost 45 per cent, mostly at the expense of Labour, whose support had dropped to 54 per cent from 57 per cent in 2012.
These gains were especially pronounced in Labour strongholds in the south, such as Birżebbuġa and Marsaxlokk.
On the other hand, the PN suffered significant losses in Gozo, most notably in Munxar, where it lost its majority for the first time ever, and in Nadur, which it managed to cling on to by a whisker.
Addressing a news conference at the party headquarters in Pietà, Dr Busuttil said the result was significant as the PN had managed to reverse the decline in support it had been experiencing since the 2003 general election. He also laid emphasis on the fact that this success came less than a year after its negative showing in the European Parliament election, where Labour had largely kept its 36,000-vote lead intact.
The next general election will not be a foregone Labour victory
“This result has taken many people by surprise as it has shown the PN is able to make a difference, even at council level,” Dr Busuttil said.
He added that the result also meant the next general election in three years’ time would not be a foregone Labour victory as many have been predicting.
However, he cautioned that this was no time for triumphalism and the party still had a long way to go before it could regain the trust of the majority.
Asked about the PN’s poor showing in Gozo, Dr Busuttil attributed the drop in support to what he described as “Labour’s mudslinging campaign” against Nationalist MP and former Gozo minister Giovanna Debono.
He was referring to allegations made by a whistleblower who said Ms Debono’s husband had used public funds to carry out free construction works for her constituents. These allegations prompted the police to initiate an investigation. While Ms Debono has denied any wrongdoing, Dr Busuttil has repeatedly said he would only take action when he had the inquiry’s findings in hand.
These allegations surfaced in the final weeks of the campaign, when Labour accused Dr Busuttil of shying away from the media to avoid being grilled on this case. However, the PN leader yesterday denied such claims saying he had taken a very prominent part in his party’s campaign.
“I also dedicated significant time to home visits to listen to the people,” Dr Busuttil said.
He added that the result also vindicated his decision to carry out important internal reforms meant to regenerate the party.