Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi this afternoon said the local councils election had conveyed a strong, clear message that the PN has a lot of work to do on the national, local and personal levels with the people.
Speaking at a press conference, Dr Gonzi said the outcome showed that the people wanted local councils that worked in a dedicated and serious manner. The electorate did not want partisan politics within the councils. The people also did not arrogance from mayors, councillors or staff. They also wanted their voice to be heard and acted upon.
This result, Dr Gonzi said was a strong echo of the call he made on February 26 at the end of the general council meeting. Indeed, in his speech he had heralded this outcome in that he had said that the PN needed to go to the people's homes to hear what the people had to say.
"The message to us all is that we need to hear what families are telling us," Dr Gonzi said. "We need to be closer to the people than we have been so far."
He said the exercise he had asked Dr Simon Busuttil to organise (a structured dialogue with all sections of the population) was needed more than ever, Dr Gonzi said. Just as important were the organised visits by ministers and MPs, which PN General Secretary Pual Borg Olivier would coordinate.
Dr Gonzi said there were three particular disappointments in this election. The first was the loss of the majorities in St Paul's Bay, Qala and Safi. The second was that, although one was not strictly comparing like with like, the PN had seen a drop of 11,500 votes from the last round of elections in the same localities. It was also a fact that the PL only increased its votes by 150, although that was no excuse for the PN.
The third disappointment was a drop of 5% in support to the PN.
The PN, Dr Gonzi said, would closely study the result.
"For me, the most important message is that we have a lot of work to do and the electorate expects that from us," he said.
It was not enough to work hard for the country in general by attracting investment and creating jobs. The people also expected action at the lower level, to help families. It was good to defend the country but that had to be translated into better conditions for families, Dr Gonzi said.
The prime minister said he understood the outcome of the elections to also be a message to himself but this too was in keeping with his declarations two weeks ago following the PN leadership election.
LOW TURNOUT
He said it had also resulted that there was the highest ever abstention rate since local councils were created. Turnout was far lower than in the previous round in the same localities. The sharpest drop in turnout was in those localities which traditionally supported the PN. This was another message to the PN, a call by the electorate for the party to listen to the people, and also explain its policies better.
This was something he had declared he would do two weeks ago, Dr Gonzi said.
He thanked all those who participated in the elections, saying they were a healthy democratic exercise.
When replying to questions, Dr Gonzi said there were various, different reasons for the losses in St Paul's Bay, Safi and Qala. St Paul's Bay had suffered a low turnout, for example, but that was not the case in Safi.
On the case of Julian Galea, the former Sliema councillor who made controversial comments that were revealed in the run-up to the election, Dr Gonzi when asked if he had demanded his resignation, said the party had condemned those comments but ultimately it was the people that gave its verdict.
Mr Galea only just managed to get re-elected.