Greens’ Cacopardo warns ‘failed’ PN-PD deal will hinder future coalition attempts

Alternattiva Demokratika’s deputy chairperson Carmel Cacopardo has ripped into the pre-electoral coalition between the PN and the Partit Demokratiku, lambasting it as a “failed experiment” that will hinder any future coalition-building attempts”.

Writing in the Malta Independent, Cacopardo said that the PN-PD coalition – which saw PD candidates run on the PN ticket – was based solely on pragmatism and convenience rather than on principles and an agreed shared vision.

“The National Front was a pragmatic exercise to the extent that an analysis of the actual votes cast clearly shows tat the PD link with the PN resulted in no votes being added to the PN by the PD,” he said. “The PN/PD alliance failed in its major arithmetical objective as it is clear that it failed to attract a significant number of disgruntled voters.

“Actually, it rather repelled them with its continuous negative messages and sent most of them back to Labour. Unfortunately, this failed attempt will dissuade any other attempt at alliance-building in the immediate future, as no political party enjoys being taken for a ride, as was Simon Busuttil’s party.”

Although AD lost around half of the votes it had obtained in the 2013 election, Cacopardo argued that his party was correct in rejecting the PN’s invitation to join the National Front.

“Listening to ‘independent’ journalists and self-centred intellectuals advocating the Busuttil/Farrugia National Front was a very sad experience, as these were the same people who should have taken the PN itself to task for its internal contradictions on issues of good governance,” he said. “By endorsing the PN-led National Front, they ended up endorsing the PN’s misdemeanors when they should have been at the forefront of those insisting that the PN clean up its act before claiming any right to wear the suit of shining armour.”