Talks on a possible coalition with the newly formed Democratic Party were “confidential”, the Nationalist Party said.
A party spokesman told the Times of Malta discussions with PD leader Marlene Farrugia were ongoing and details on the mechanics of a possible coalition were not to be disclosed at this point.
Three weeks ago, The Sunday Times of Malta reported that the PN was having talks, with the aim of forming an opposition that would give the electorate a united force and offer an alternative government based on good governance.
Asked what shape such a coalition would take and whether the PN was open to sharing the ballot sheet equally with the PD, the spokesman declined to comment.
Party sources raised doubts over such a move, noting the disproportionality between the two parties. The PD was far too small to share the ballot sheet, the sources pointed out, adding that the likeliest move would be the PD being absorbed by the PN.
The PN spokesman was adamant in not discussing the matter further.
“As announced by The Sunday Times of Malta, Simon Busuttil has met Marlene Farrugia on a couple of occasions and both have agreed to take the matter forward. The urge for the foundation of a national coalition against corruption is increasingly felt. People from all walks of life are responding to this call, as the candidature of Salvu Mallia clearly shows,” the spokesman said, declining to give further details.
Discussions between the two are believed to be focusing on setting down the core principles that will best serve the national interest in the upcoming general election and beyond if the parties are given the chance to form an alternative government.
Dr Farrugia confirmed this when asked if she was considering heeding Dr Busuttil’s call for a ‘coalition against corruption’, which he made during the Independence Day celebrations in September.
“We are in discussions to establish basic principles that can bring together all those who don’t agree with the way this government is running the country, in order to create a strong opposition that can stop the rampage,” she said.
Both Dr Farrugia and Dr Busuttil later defined the principles as consisting of “good governance, real social justice and environmental sustainability”.
“What’s emerged so far from these discussions is that there is nothing fundamentally different in what we aspire to for the country,” Dr Farrugia said.