MaltaToday online poll | Overwhelming majority tell Prime Minister to call elections

Over 70% to an online poll insist the Prime Minister’s next move is to seek early elections

Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi has so far insisted he will not go for early elections
Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi has so far insisted he will not go for early elections

Respondents to maltatoday.com.mt's online poll believe that the Prime Minister's next move should be only one: call early elections.

In less than 24 hours, almost 1,000 respondents participated in the poll with 70% insisting that Lawrence Gonzi has now lost the one-seat majority he never had and should therefore go for elections.

On the other hand, only 20% feel that the Nationalist government should complete the full-term of its legislature. According to some 200 respondents, now that Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando has pledged his support, Malta didn't need any further shocks to its system.

Some 9% also believe that this is an opportunity for Pullicino Orlando to bolster the legislative programme.

The Nationalist government has yet to complete an agenda of laws from its electoral programme, including the Whistleblower's Acct, the cohabitation law and IVF law.

In a not so surprise turn of events, Pullicino Orlando on Thursday resigned from the Nationalist Party but retained his seat in parliament as an independent MP. Together with Gonzi, he has now formed a 'coalition' to make sure that the PN impliments its electoral programme to the full.

Since the start of the political crisis threatened by Gonzi's one-seat majority in parliament, the Prime Minister has been adamant that he won't seek early elections.

He has always insisted that the PN has been elected to serve the full-term of five years and he will keep fighting to the end.

But as things stand today, Gonzi may still have to face another problem. Rebel backbencher Franco Debono has claimed he will not be supporting government in its Budget vote in November if Austin Gatt doesn't resign from the Cabinet.

On the other hand, last January Gonzi had urged Gatt to concentrate on the PN's electoral campaign if he were to resign as minister. At the time, Gatt had been facing a motion censuring him over the public transport reform.

Also, it has yet to be seen whether Gonzi enjoys the support of the majority in parliament. Asked whether he would be reconvening Parliament before 1 October - when Parliament meets again from its summer recess - the Prime Minister said that this decision was up to Speaker Michael Frendo.

However, Frendo has been cautious about it, insisting that he was following the issue closely to see how it will continue to develop.

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Well to be honest I think you made a good point there omegaman!The few gonzipn fanatics left do not read maltatoday because it tells the truth, and the truth hurts so why should they read it? They read in nazzjon, the most popular and the most sold journal in malta......it gives them personal satisfaction that everything is alright.
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What would you expect if the overwhelming majority of Maltatoday readers are labourites? This is easily confirmed from the content of the comments left by readers. The result of this online poll is biased and does not reflect, in any way, the will of the public in general.
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The longer the wait, the larger his hard-headedness will make him fall. Just like his uncle who is abhorred by most.
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JPO may have been convinced that he did the right thing to resign, in actual fact he played the PN game. The PM will announce an early election and eventually JPO will be blamed for this.
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Mela issa GonziPN favur li jpoggi, jigifieri, skond MPs Nazzjonalisti li ivvutaw kontra id-divorzju...tkun irresponsabli?
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Great instead of taking a decision, to call an election and ask the people for an other term, Dr Gonzi kicked the ball towards, his Parliamentary life line the Hon Mr Speaker who has made no comment about what is going on but is cautious and is following what is going on and see how the situation will develop. In the mean time the crises continues, while our countries Democratic credentials are being questioned by everyone out there. Besides all this Investors are insecure in what to do and opportunities may be lost due to the fact that decision takers in this country just try to sit on the problem and weather the storm thinking that it will pass soon and all will be well in a few weeks. Which is not the case as government had to test his strength on different occasions. In the mean time people out there are facing the consequences for the lack of the decision that should have been taken by now. Dr Gonzi now you lost your majority so it is the Peoples right to make the choice of who should they want to govern the country. On the other hand People have taken a phrase that you use do not judge me by what I say but by what I do. So please let them judge.
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The only thing the famous GonziPN will survive is to stay till the end 2013,and put more icing on the cake like he is doing.Borrow more money and give it to the people, the result will be like Spain today.[how nice].
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I would rather, and you would be more correct to refer to the LG/JPO loose parliamentary arrangement exactly as such. It is definitely not a coalition, even if in inverted commas, and should not be classed as such.
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Il-fuq minn 70 fil mija ma iridux lil GonziPN fuq dak is-siggu ta' Kastilja. Il-maggoranza tridek twarrab. Dejjem uzajtuha il-maggoranza fejn jaqblilkom, ghaliex issa mhux qed taghti kas il-maggoranza tal-poplu Malti u Ghawdxi bhal ma ghamilt fuq il-Ligi tad-Divorzju? Din hija id-demokrazzija li tant jiftahhar biha il-Partit Nazzjonalista lil tiftahru kemm huwa kristjan? Sewwa jghidtu "flimkien kollox possibli" ghaliex bejnithkom qedin thawdu u thallu lil poplu jitkarrab. Kellu bzonn li titilfu l-elezzjoni b'aktar min 70 fil-mija.
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Gonzi u shabu ma jimpurthomx x jghid il-poplu. Imwahhlin mas-siggu tal-poter, Imma aktar ma jdumu fil-gvern aktar se jitilfu voti ghax il-qasma fil-partit qieghda tikber. U wara kollox il prim ministru ta Malta ma ghadux Gonzi izda JPO li x hin irid lil Gonzi jigbidlu l-ispaga.
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Kulltant ma inkunx naf jekk nibkix,jew nidhaq f`dan il pajjiz...L-anqas jekk ikun hemm 200% li jghejdu lil GonziPN biex jghajjat elezzjoni, ghax ma jghamiliex. Ghalkemm veru li minnu tiddependi, imma dawk il ftit imprendituri, businessmen u kuntratturi li ilhom ippapuha 25 sena, u iridu ilaqtu il borma sa l-ahhar, u zgur li mhux ser ihalluh johrog mill gagga, u mill ktajjen li marbut bihom.Min jaf kemm ghad ghandu dejn bhala partit lejn dawn il benefetturi li dejjem iwieznu lil PN...
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Joseph MELI
He will "hang on" in the desperate act and cling to power in spite of and to despite the overwhelming opinion and the clear lack of a majority to do so as well as the fragmentated elements within his own party.Gonzi clearly does not have the support of the people nor the confidence of his in-house cabal-unlike RCC(what a joke that vote was-the last hurrah of a dying power).