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Joseph Muscat made an impassioned appeal to those who voted for the Labour Party for the first time four years ago to trust him once again.
Addressing a large crowd that packed the Granaries in Floriana, the Labour leader said he had delivered a country that was better than he found it four years ago.
"To those who voted for this movement for the first time; you trusted me and with all my defects I am giving you back a country that is better than it was… Trust me again because I have the same enthusiasm, energy, positivity and now also the experience to lead this country better,” he said.
Under Busuttil we will once again become the country of debt, downgrades and indecision
Dr Muscat urged voters to choose the Labour movement again so as not to stop half way down the road of success.
"We cannot turn the clock back. We cannot lose what has been achieved,” he said, warning that the alternative was Simon Busuttil and his unstable coalition.
Dr Muscat insisted that people who did not vote or voted for another party were opening the door for Dr Busuttil to get back “at each and everyone of you”.
Matteo Renzi endorses Joseph Muscat.“Simon Busuttil is not capable of running the economy and will run an unstable government hostage to Marlene Farrugia. We will once again become the country of debt, downgrades and indecision and the victims will not only be statistics but your jobs, family incomes and peace of mind,” he warned.
Dr Muscat said the PN leader would go down in history as one of the most negative in this country’s political history.
He again challenged Dr Busuttil to resign if the Egrant inquiry found no wrongdoing.
Throughout the 30-minute speech, Dr Muscat went through a list of pledges the party is making to ensure the country continued down the road of prosperity.
With reference to the meme making the round on Facebook of the face of a Down's syndrome child photoshopped onto the Prime Minister’s face, Dr Muscat said whoever intended to offend him had actually honoured him.
“You honoured me because there is nothing wrong in people with disabilities. I am proud of these people and their families and they will always find us behind them because we are the movement for the disadvantaged, minorities,” Dr Muscat said.
A new Labour government, he said, would ensure the disabled would continue to find work, receive more benefits and get more rights.
Renzi addresses PL meeting
Former Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi has called on Maltese voters to continue down the road the country embarked on when it elected a Labour government four years ago.
Delivering a short address at the PL mass meeting on the Granaries in Floriana as a guest of the party, Mr Renzi said his presence was a sign of loyalty towards his “friend Joseph Muscat”.
Joking that the Prime Minister had a defect in supporting Italian team AC Milan, Mr Renzi extolled Dr Muscat’s success in bringing about unprecedented economic growth and the lowest unemployment.
“Malta has had extraordinary success… I cannot see the end of this crowd and you should not see the end of this road,” Mr Renzi said, introducing Joseph Muscat on stage as Malta’s next prime minister.
The introduction was followed by a short video message from former British prime minister Tony Blair, who described Dr Muscat as an example of what progressive politics was all about.