Government’s fate lies in December 10 vote

Crucial Budget vote to be taken on Monday 10 December after Prime Minister’s closing speech.

27 November 2012, 12:00am
by Miriam Dalli

1 min read

The fate of Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi's government lies in a crucial budget vote which Franco Debono declares he will vote against.

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The first crucial vote on Budget 2013 will be taken on Monday 10 December, right after Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi makes his closing speech.

The whips of the two sides of the House have agreed for Opposition leader Joseph Muscat to make his speech on 5 December while the Prime Minister would reply on 10 December.

The vote is a crucial one, as a defeat on the Budget vote would effectively mean the end of the legislature.

Nationalist MP Franco Debono has already told MaltaToday he will not attend tomorrow's parliamentary sitting when finance minister Tonio Fenech will present the 2013 Budget.

Debono has insisted that he will vote against the budget and with the Opposition leader also declaring that Labour MPs will vote against the 2013 Budget, the Prime Minister will have no option but to dissolve Parliament and call elections.

Meanwhile, Foreign Affairs Minister Tonio Borg is expected to deliver his last speech in the House of Representatives this evening and is expected to tender his as a minister and MP tomorrow.

Last week, Tonio Borg's nomination as commissioner for health and consumer policy was approved by the European Parliament.

Miriam Dalli joined MaltaToday.com.mt in 2010 becoming assistant editor f...

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Albert Mifsud Buckland •

I hold no brief for any politician but out of all this debacle - what with Franco Debono etc- the one person who has stood out as a true gentleman and of absolute loyalty is Francis Zammit Dimech. His tenure in any role, last of which as a Minister, has never been tainted with any wrongdoing whatsoever. This in itself speaks volumes of the man.

Maureen Attard •

Jekk il-baġit ma jgħaddix, l-elezzjoni xorta f'Marzu ssir u għalhekk il-gvern ikun serva ħames snin xorta waħda. U FD jispiċċa mwarrab għal kollox u ħadd ma jagħti kasu iżjed u jibqa kollox f'wiċċu. Għax kif jgħid il-Malti, minn jobżoq fl-ajru jiġi f'wiċċu.

•

These are the last days of Pompei (GonziPN). We are experiencing the last days of the PN regime. The regime will come down with a bang !!!! Gonzi will only be remembered for ghost investments and his weird and sarcastic smile!!!!