News • 16 March 2003

Sant raises alarm bells on talk of alliance

General elections in Malta are usually a very neat affair with a clear winner and loser. However, the possibility of an alliance between the PN and AD, in whichever form it evolves, can threaten the status quo if the Green Party elects at least one deputy.

This possibility has sounded alarm bells within the Labour Party, which may kiss victory goodbye if AD manages to secure a parliamentary seat.

Electoral law clearly stipulates that if more than two parties make it to parliament the number of parliamentary seats won will decide who will govern. In that eventuality, irrespective of the first count votes obtained by the respective parties, it is almost certain that the number of combined seats obtained by the PN and AD would be more than the number of seats won by Labour.

The alarm was sounded yesterday by Labour leader Alfred Sant, who warned the crowd in front of him that the country faced a democratic threat, even if he did not specify what this threat was.

Addressing a public meeting in Valletta, Sant challenged the Prime Minister to publicly declare that he would respect the result of a general election.

"From what we have been hearing we are suspecting that the Nationalist Party is not ready to respect the result of a general election," Sant said.

"The Nationalist Party can unite with whoever it wants. The fact is that there are clear rules on how an election is run, won and lost and on the subsequent governance."

Sant did not specify what type of democratic threat he was talking about, but insisted it was evident that the Nationalist Party was trying to undermine the principles underlying a general election.

Sant said the Labour Party would respect the result of the general election.

The Labour leader continued: "One can understand why Fenech Adami was scared of a general election. The test for Fenech Adami’s administration has arrived. People will decide for themselves on what the PN has promised and what it has delivered."