PL deputy leader: ‘Election date is the prime minister’s prerogative’

Election date 'a prime minister's prerogative'

Refusing to entertain questions surrounding the Labour government’s plans for an early election, the deputy leader of the Labour Party has reiterated that the election comes when the prime minister decides.

“The date of a general election is decided by the Prime Minister, as is his prerogative,” Chris Cardona stated.

Over the past weeks, ministers were told to prepare for a November election whilst secretariats have been thrown into campaign mode, having been asked to focus their energies on customer care relations.

Even though Prime Minister Joseph Muscat has on multiple times indicated that he would complete his full five-year term and hold elections in March 2018, it’s all systems go inside Labour.

Opposition leader Simon Busuttil this morning urged Muscat to end the uncertainty: “Everyone is expecting an early election… end the uncertainty.”

Cardona was replying to questions by MaltaToday, during a press conference held by the Labour Party at its headquarters.

Flanked by Justice Minister Owen Bonnici, Cardona took Busuttil to task over allegations surrounding the ownership of Egrant, the Panamanian company which Nexia BT boss Brian Tonna insists is his.

The PN leader, who says he doesn’t believe Muscat’s denials that he has nothing to do with Egrant, this morning urged the public to come forward with any information on Egrant or any of the companies named in the Panama Papers.

“We finally have a confirmation of the false politician that Simon Busuttil is,” Cardona and Bonnici said. “After all these months of false accusations, it’s now evident that he never had any information. It’s all politics based on lies.”

Cardona argued that the PN should stop diverting attention from its own scandal and come clean on the fake invoices issued to subsidiaries of the DB Group by Media.Link.

On his part, Bonnici reminded that it was the Labour administration that introduced the Protection of the Whistleblower Act, with the law making it clear that it should be the institutions – and not politicians – who decide who should be granted protection.

Busuttil has urged potential whistleblowers to come forward with any information, promising that a PN government would offer them protection.