Edwin Vassallo would be ‘satisfied’ with a 24,000 vote loss

Former Nationalist MP Edwin Vassallo has told newspaper Illum that he would be satisfied with a 20-24,000 vote deficit for the PN.

Asked what would constitute a satisfactory result for the party, Vassallo said that such result would mean that the Labour government would have lost between ten and fifteen thousand votes in just one year.

“We have to be realistic. The Nationalist Party still has to deal with last year’s protest vote, which I think will persist during today’s elections. Our aim should be to win the third EP seat for the first time since this should not be taken for granted, and in the process try and reduce the gap with the Labour Party as much as possible,” Vassallo said,

On the other hand, he said that if Labour did not manage to keep hold of the fourth EP seat and the 36,000 vote majority it would definitely be a negative result for the party in government.

Nonetheless, Labour leaning opinionist Manuel Micallef reminded that the third EP seat for the Opposition is a mere formality - enabled with a quota for six seats rather than five - after the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty.

“It’s more about the amount of votes for each party. The PN’s tactic to reiterate that a 36,000 vote deficit cannot be overthrown in just a year is proof that the party has not reorganised and renewed itself yet. It’s a strategy devised not to give room for any manoeuvres that would challenge the party leadership following the electoral result,” Micallef commented.

The former Labour head of news added that the PN’s third seat should only be considered as the minimum for the Nationalist Party.

“It would merely save Busuttil’s future in the helm of the opposition. That’s why the PN always tried to lower its supporters’ expectations during the electoral campaign.”

Meanwhile former AD chairperson Michael Briguglio said the Green Party should continue to build on last year’s positive result, and if this does not happen it would be a let down for AD.

“The 2014 European Elections will not determine the future government, so the electorate would be more inclined to vote for a small party,” Briguglio explained.

Read more in today’s issue of Illum.