Divorce | Gonzi leaves options open, 'I don't want to tie election with divorce'

The political future of Malta’s decision on the introduction of divorce is still a question mark, as Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi has left people guessing on how a decision will be taken.

Speaking on Bondiplus, Gonzi said he was in favour of a referendum but questions were left unanswered as to whether parliament will be debating a referendum question or passing a law to introduce it in 2011.

Gonzi said that in spite of his opposition to divorce, he felt he could not “close the door to constructive debate on a subject like divorce in [his] party.”

The prime minister called for a debate that does not resort to extreme opinions or religion, but a mature discussion based on “objectivity and social analysis”.

But when pushed on why the Nationalist party was against divorce, Gonzi answered that “the institution of marriage had to be strengthened.”

When asked about the experiences of other countries abroad, Gonzi refused to be drawn into comparisons.

“Our measure should not be what happens in other countries. Has Malta arrived at such a point where so many broken marriages merits the introduction divorce? In my opinion no, and the statistics I see say this is not a situation,”Gonzi stressed when asked on a report by Church think-tank Discern on the future of 35,000 broken marriages in Malta.

The prime minister said that his legislature had no mandate for the introduction of divorce, leaving more room for a referendum to be put to the people before the next general election in 2013.

“Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando’s bill be discussed and I don’t intend seeing this debate stretch on for long.”

Gonzi was then faced with an interview clip with Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando, the possibility was brought up that a debate in parliament on his bill would be effectively tackling what sort of question the people would be put in a referendum.

While Gonzi said he was leaving “all options open”, he said he had no intention of tieing divorce with an election.

Bondiplus presenter Lou Bondì asked him whether he will be holding the referendum on election day, to which Gonzi replied that this was only a “hypothetical situation”.

“For me it is an important decision… rarely has our country had such a difficult decision to take.”