[WATCH] 'PN is back in business, Muscat no longer invincible' - Busuttil

Opposition leader hails narrowing of gap between Labour and PN by seven points when compared to last round of local council elections, accuses 'Joe' Muscat of having done all in his power to influence spring hunting vote

Opposition leader Simon Busuttil has hailed the local council election results as a sign that the Nationalist Party is “back in business”.

“Before today, people used to think that [Prime Minister] Joseph Muscat was invincible, but these results prove that he isn’t,” Busuttil told a press conference.

Indications show that the PN will win 45% of the local council votes, while the Labour Party will win 54% of them. In 2012, when the same round of local council elections was last held, the PN only won 40%, compared with the PL’s 57%.

“Every election since 2008 has seen the PN lose its votes, but we have now managed to turn the situation around into one where support for the party has increased,” Busuttil said. “We have managed to reduce the gap by seven percentage points, a result that fills us with courage, motivation, and determination.”

He referred to the 2014 European Parliament election that the PL won by around 53% of the total vote.

“We have managed to turn the situation in only a year’s time,” Busuttil said. “We have started a marathon and we undoubtedly have a lot of work left to do, particularly amongst the people.”

Despite the PN having reduced the gap, the Labour Party made strong gains in Gozo and won the locality of Munxar for the first time in its history.

“Muscat had launched a large mud-slinging campaign against the PN in Gozo,” Busuttil said, ostensibly referring to allegations that private works were financed by public funds from the Gozo ministry under the previous administration. “Plus, the local council campaigns coincided with the spring hunting referendum.”

When asked to respond to accusations that he had shied away from journalists throughout the local council campaign, Busuttil said that he had personally involved himself in the campaign, participating in daily house visits and PN activities.  

‘Muscat did all he could to influence spring hunting vote’

A whopping 62.1% of the Gozitan voters voted in favour of the retention of a spring hunting season, rendering the Gozitan vote crucial to the Yes campaign’s slim victory. Proponents from the anti- spring hunting campaign have blamed Muscat for having contributed to the victory by speaking in favour of spring hunting on four occasions, twice while in Gozo.

“Joe [sic] Muscat had promised not to influence the vote, but actually did all he could to influence it,” Busuttil said. “After the result, he tried to make himself look good amongst both the hunters and the No voters.