Malta needs clear decisions, and not uncertainty and manoeuvring, Alternattiva Demokratika said.

Chairman Michael Briguglio said that even though the Nationalist government won a vote of confidence last Monday, clear decisions needed to be taken on various issues effecting the people's quality of life, social justice, environmental protection, civil rights, party financing, electoral reform and legal reform, among others.

Prior to the last general election, the Nationalist Party made various promises - many of which were originally proposed by AD - which were not kept, he said.

Dr Briguglio said that while AD believed that if the country fell into uncertainty, only a general election could solve the problem, "the recent primadonna posing of the Franco Debono type and opportunistic manoeuvring by Labour were uncalled for in a context of global economic, social and environmental crisis".

EU and international affairs spokesman Arnold Cassola said that in an international context where the economy was in dire straits and in view of the decisive election to be held in Greece next week, it was shameful that the Maltese parliament practically abdicated its parliamentary duties and devoted the last eight months or so to parliamentary games which did not interest the people.

"Now that the vote of confidence has passed, it is the duty of the Maltese parliament to take measures to better the continuously falling standards of living of the Maltese and to implement without delay the reforms necessary in the law courts and in the prisons and those concerning the electoral system and party financing, all issues which are democratically regulated in a democratic Europe," he said.