Opposition leader Simon Busuttil yesterday flatly refused to comment on reports the Nationalist Party approached construction magnate Sandro Chetcuti to stand on the party ticket.
MaltaToday reported yesterday that Mr Chetcuti said he was approached by the PN and the Labour Party to contest the next general election. The president of the MDA, an influential construction lobby, is reported to have turned down both offers as he was not interested in running for election.
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Asked whether the PN’s wooing of Mr Chetcuti went against its pro-environment stance, Dr Busuttil said he would neither confirm nor deny that Mr Chetcuti had been approached. He insisted that discussions about candidature should not take place publicly but with the individuals concerned.
Marlene Farrugia and her deputy have spoken as if it’s a done deal
Dr Busuttil was asked about a coalition between the PN and the Democratic Party. PD leader Marlene Farrugia and her deputy, Anthony Buttigieg, have spoken along the lines of the coalition being a done deal, but the PN insists talks are still under way.
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Asked if Dr Farrugia had jumped the gun in announcing the deal, Dr Busuttil said he would comment when there was a “final result”. Dr Farrugia’s statements showed her interest in concluding the talks, he said, adding that the PN would be “publishing” the result of the talks once they were known.
He expressed satisfaction about the interest the coalition talks had elicited.
The Sunday Times of Malta reported last week that there were rumblings of discontent in the PN’s parliamentary group, whose members were unaware of any coalition deal.
The move has also angered PN candidates on the fifth electoral district, where Dr Farrugia has strong roots.
Any coalition deal allowing PD candidates to contest the election on the PN ticket will have to be approved by the PN’s executive committee, this newspaper reported yesterday. Prospects of a PN-PD “coalition against corruption” were raised last September by Dr Busuttil during the Independence Day mass meeting.