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The agreement between the Labour party and Nationalist party over the electoral system has confirmed that both sides believe they will realistically attain less than 50% of all vote cast, reconfirming the worst fears for the Nationalists that it will be falling beneath the 50% threshold.
The talks, which excluded the Greens who were until recently participants to the discussions before being unceremoniously sidelined, concerns the addition of seats in the eventuality of a relative majority and the question of the island-district of Gozo, recently dismembered due to its growing population being under-represented.
As things stand today, the electoral districts which were last amended by the Electoral Commission favour the Labour party, but the Nationalist HQ continue to believe they will win the day at the very end.
The talks that were agreed upon weeks ago between the two parties were however even kept secret from deputy Prime Minister Tonio Borg, even though the Office of the Prime Minister has denied this. The deputy PM had commented he did not know that talks were taking place until the OPM came to the rescue, saying that “the Vice Prime Minister was informed of all the details that were taking place between Joe Saliba and Michael Falzon.”
Even more curious was the impression given by Labour leader Alfred Sant of a take-it-or-leave-it MLP proposal that was to be presented to the PN for the talks, and which turned out to be completely untrue.
In fact the two sides had already agreed upon their preferred electoral reform, with Sant even saying on 17 December that the MLP executive and MPs had agreed on a package that would be presented to the PN. But talks had already taken place and a basis for agreement had been agreed upon between the two parties.
An OPM spokesman has told MaltaToday that Alfred Sant had broken the agreement between the two parties not to divulge secret talks between the two sides. But the statement fell short of trying to denigrate Sant, or reveal the fact that the two sides had already agreed to the proposals.
The OPM official said that Labour deputy leader Michael Falzon had phoned PN secretary general Joe Saliba two days before Alfred Sant’s outburst, to confirm the MLP’s acceptance of the proposals.
But this has been categorically denied by Michael Falzon: “I categorically deny such a telephone call was made. The basis for agreement took place weeks beforehand.”
The agreement between the two sides excluded Alternattiva Demokratika and steered away from discussing the national threshold, and once again ignored the recommendations of what was better known as the Gonzi Commission on electoral reform.
Once again it postpones electoral reform indefinitely.
The changes to the electoral system will need to be enshrined in the Constitution, and it is expected that this rubber stamping process will find the approval of all members in the House. |
