[WATCH] Labour says it is the only party complying with party financing law

The Labour Party (PL) has submitted all the necessary documentation required by Malta's party financing laws, including its accounts, to the Electoral Commission, is said in a statement on Tuesday.

The PL said it was the only party with a representation in parliament that had submitted its accounts on time.

“After the financial report was approved in the Annual General Conference last April, the Labour Party was again the a position to present, before the stipulated time, all that is required by the Electoral Commission as a result of the party financing law,” the PL said.

It added that both the Nationalist Party (PN) and Democratic Party (PD) had requested an extension from the commission.

The fact that both parties requested an extension shows that they did not feel that adhering to one of the recently introduced that was most in favour of good governance.

“This shows that despite all its talk about transparency, the Opposition isn’t capable of leading by example,” PL CEO Randolph Debattista said.

“This is the second consecutive year in which the PN was not in a position to submit its financial accounts. This is behaviour that raises many questions, and that shows that the PN is still not comfortable with party financing laws.”

He added that this was not the only case in which the PN had not respected the law or the Electoral Commission, “so much so that it challenged the Commission’s authority in court”.

“Transparency comes at a price. There are  many obligations in the party financing law but the Labour Party does its utmost to abide by them, because not only did it introduce this law, but it also wants to lead by example by respecting it,” Debattista said.