Is Joseph Muscat welcome at Labour rallies? Abela evades the question

Prime Minister Robert Abela evaded questions at a press conference on Tuesday as to whether former Labour Party leader Joseph Muscat would be welcome to give a speech at a party rally during the election campaign.

“I don’t throw people away, especially those who don’t agree with me,” he stated, without mentioning Joseph Muscat by name.

He instead fired away at the Nationalist Party, which saw four MPs announce that they will not contest the coming election on the first day of campaign season.

Abela referred to an exclusive MaltaToday story, where MP Mario Galea revealed that the Nationalist Party made his life hell.

Since becoming prime minister in January 2020, Abela has largely kept Muscat at arm’s length in public events. Muscat previously revealed that he has no plans on contesting the coming election, and is yet to be spotted at a Labour Party event.

Muscat also largely kept out of the public eye until a police raid on his home last January, prompting him to make more public appearances in video interviews or through Facebook posts and vlogs.

READ ALSO: Muscat: ‘I wanted to fade away but the police search was the straw that broke the camel’s back’