Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi is keeping his options open on whether the introduction of divorce should be decided through a referendum or at the next general election.
He insisted again yesterday that the choice should be made by the electorate after the political parties take clear stands on the subject, following a healthy debate.
He said while politicians were duty-bound to discuss the matter in an "open and sincere way" to encourage dialogue, the subject was too delicate to be determined by the 69 members of Parliament.
But Dr Gonzi dodged a question on timing in an interview aired on Radio 101. He was asked whether he planned to leave the decision on divorce to after the next general election, in 2013, but said only: "Let's discuss the subject, then go to the electorate with the positions of the (political) parities."
When asked by The Times to clarify that comment, a spokesman for Dr Gonzi said that at this stage, all options were open to discussion and the Prime Minister was not ruling out holding a referendum or asking the people to make their choice through the electoral vote.
He said it was still early to say when the people would be asked to make the choice.
The comment comes after former Prime Minister and President Eddie Fenech Adami told The Sunday Times he felt such matters of principle should not be decided through a referendum.
In fact, the referendum question was raised during a hastily convened Nationalist parliamentary group meeting last Wednesday, a day after Nationalist MP Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando surprised his party, and the Prime Minister, by presenting a Private Member's Bill aimed at "dissolving marriages which are irrevocably broken".
The meeting had started with the Prime Minister taking issue with the fact that he was informed of the Bill through a text message sent by someone in Parliament. In fact, Dr Pullicino Orlando's chosen way to put the matter on the party's agenda was criticised by fellow MPs.
Some MPs viewed the referendum as a way out of the situation, to shift the decision onto the people, while others argued that subjects such as this, which involved personal decisions and minority groups, should not be decided by a referendum.
Yesterday, Dr Gonzi stressed that no political party had a mandate to introduce divorce because it was not listed in the electoral programmes.
The matter was different with cohabitation where the government, through the PN's electoral programme, had the mandate to introduce legislation that would safeguard the rights of cohabiting people, which is being promised by the end of the year.
He said the debate on divorce was essentially a debate on the family and called for a rational debate free from emotionally charged stands.
Opposition Leader Joseph Muscat has called for proper discussion and consultation on the divorce Bill presented by Dr Pullicino Orlando.
Dr Muscat said his position in favour of divorce as a civil right was well known and he would, as promised, grant a free vote in Parliament. Dr Muscat had promised he would move a Private Member's Bill on divorce on becoming Prime Minister.