Updated at 4.30pm

Independent MEP candidate Arnold Cassola will boycott two successive episodes of TV talk show Xarabank, saying the format discriminates in favour of Malta's two major parties. 

Prof. Cassola announced his decision on Friday morning, saying in a statement that he would play no part in the "sham" programme set up by Xarabank presenter Peppi Azzopardi. 

Xarabank will dedicate two successive episodes to the MEP elections. Each of the shows will feature three PN candidates, two PL candidates and one activist on the panel. 

Independent candidates and candidates from smaller parties will be relegated to the audience, Prof. Cassola said. 

"To compensate, Peppi [Azzopardi] and company offered me the possibility of driving some sort of go-kart or answering fast YES/NO questions ..... but not on politics! To bring out the human element, they said. How sweet!” Prof. Cassola wrote.

"They have five years to bring out the human element in you and they do nothing.

"Then they want to bring it out during a political campaign, three weeks before elections. Enjoy your sham show tonight and next week, Peppi.”

Alleanza Bidla will also boycott show

Within hours of Prof. Cassola's boycott announcement, Ivan Grech Mintoff's Alleanza Bidla said it would also not feature, calling the programme a "tool" used by the powers-that-be. 

"They wanted to give us four minutes to explain our views. This is an insult," said Mr Grech Mintoff. 

Xarabank is Malta's longest-running TV talk show, and remains one of the most popular shows on local television.