Former Nationalist running for EP elections on Labour ticket

Labour MEP candidate Fleur Vella said she was formerly a Nationalist voter, before the party changed leadership. “I was only a Nationalist when the party was led by capable persons of high integrity,” she said in an interview with ILLUM newspaper.

The new Labour candidate claims Joseph Muscat’s party is “a family that supported me in difficult moments.”

Under past Nationalist administrations, Vella served as MRA chairman before resigning in August 2002.

Vella is portraying herself as the voice of SMEs in Brussels, in her bid to be elected MEP.

“When I started working in this sector, I saw how SMEs were facing several difficulties which were not addressed. To a small business, bureaucracy is a heavy financial burden. I want my participation in politics to address the needs and challenges that such SMEs have to face,” Vella said.

She defended the IIP citizenship scheme and said the recent debate served to show the differences between the main political parties.

“Nationalist MEPs had only one aim behind the European Parliament’s debate: to tarnish Malta’s reputation.  On the other hand, Labour MEPs and the Socialist group successfully reduced the mentioning of Malta in the final resolution.”

Vella said the government should go ahead with the IIP since the issue is not within the remit of the EU institutions.

Read more in today’s issue of Illum.