Updated - Adds PL reaction - The Nationalist Party this evening regretted that the President's speech, prepared by the government for the inauguration of Parliament, was partisan and repeated the slogans used by the Labour Party in its electoral campaign.

The use of such slogans, it said, was inappropriate as it was divisive and undermined the importance of the occasion and the dignity of the Presidency.

This, the PN said, followed the nomination of the Speaker by the Prime Minister without having consulted the Opposition.

This proved how the so-called hand if friendship of the Labour Party in government was nothing more than a hand intent of teasing and humiliating the Opposition simply because the government had a nine-seat parliamentary majority.

PL REACTION

The Labour Party in a reaction said the PN had not learnt anything from its electoral defeat and was continuing to be negative,

It said the criticism of the President's address was unfounded and one only needed to see what was said by the President at the opening of parliament in PN legislatures.

In contrast, today's speech was measured and considered  and it looked to the future.