[WATCH] ‘Local council result shows growing disillusionment with government’ – Busuttil

Opposition leader praises gains made by the Nationalist Party in this year's round of local council elections, calls on EU to send a search-and-rescue mission to the Mediterranean to prevent migrants from drowning. 

Photo by Ray Attard
Photo by Ray Attard
“The Opposition is willing to offer its full support to the government in its efforts to prevent this loss of life.” • Video by Ray Attard

Nationalist Party leader Simon Busuttil praised the gains made by his party in the local council elections.

“The majority of the councils up for re-election were Labour-leaning, meaning that the PL were playing at home, while the PN was playing away,” Busuttil told a press conference.

“However, the results also show that the people are starting to get disillusioned at the government’s lack of transparency, accountability and meritocracy, and its scandals such as the Café Premier scandal, and Joseph Muscats secret meeting to Azerbaijan,” Busuttil said.

The PN gained 14,000 more votes than it had in 2012, the last time this year’s round of local council elections was held. Busuttil pointed out that the PN increased their number of votes in 24 out of the 32 councils up for re-election, including in PL strongholds of Birzebbuga, Marsaxlokk, Zurrieq, Kirkop, Paola, Santa Lucija, and Haz-Zebbug.

In Mosta, the PN increased their narrow majority over Labour by 500 votes (+4%), while they regained St Pauls Bay (+12%).

Busuttil also pointed out that the PN elected six new councilors, while the PL lost nine, that 21% of their elected candidates were women, and that 37% of them were youths.

“The turn-out amongst 16 and 17 year olds who got a vote for the first time was high, and our early analysis show that the PN did very well amongst this sector,” Busuttil said. “It’s a shame that Muscat didn’t go all the way and give them a votefor the spring hunting referendum though. if they were mature enough to vote for local council elections, then why shouldn’t they have been allowed to vote in the referendum as well?”

He argued that the PL had failed in its four pre-electoral targets – to win Nadur, Siggiewi, and Mosta and to regain St. Paul’s Bay.

When asked whether the spring hunting referendum had any effect on the number of Nationalist voters who turned out to vote for the local councils, Busuttil said that it was always going to have an impact on voter turn-outs.

“We didn't take part in the spring hunting referendum as Muscat had, so we cant comment on what effect it had on the turnouts,” Busuttil said. “However, it had a negative impact on the PN in Gozo and parts of Malta.

“The road ahead wont be easy, and we expect the PL to intensify its personal attacks and mud-slinging tactics,” Busuttil said. “The PN has managed to cut the gap between it and the PL by half, but we still have another half of the way to go.

“However, it is a very encouraging result that fills us with courage, energy and enthusiasm to run the other half and get to a further stage than many thought we are capable of reaching.”

Call for EU navy presence in Mediterranean

Before starting his speech, Busuttil expressed his “shock” at the recent shipwrecks in the Mediterranean that resulted in the death of around 1,000 migrants.

“Everyone is capable of feeling emotions, and of realizing that this situation is not right,” Busuttil said. “The Opposition is willing to offer its full support to the government in its efforts to prevent this loss of life.”
He repeated the PN’s call on the EU to send ships to the Mediterranean to act similarly to last year’s Mare Nostrum search-and-rescue operation.

“After Mare Nostrum ended, people started dying again,” Busuttil said, adding that an EU navy presence in the region can also help combat the network of human trafficking.

“It is possible, as the EU succeeded when it sent a naval presence to the Somali coast to fight piracy,” he said.