Update 2 | Carnival to go ahead despite calls by organisers to postpone dates

Adds PN statement at 5:16pm

The Malta Council for Culture and Arts has opened applications for the participants to the official carnival celebrations of 8 to 12 February, 2013.

The announcement comes in the wake of suggestions by the association of carnival organisers to move the official festivities after the 9 March general elections, but the Nationalist Party has insisted that campaigning should not take place during the carnival week.

On its part, the Labour party said it was ready to respect the wishes of carnival participants. "While the PL finds no objection to move the carnival dates forward as proposed, we are ready to take steps as needed to keep the original date," the party said in  a statement. "This situation could have been avoided with more consultation."

The ministry for culture said the annual carnival event was tied to tourism needs and that such an event that was part and parcel of Maltese culture and identity, should not be postponed.

The Nationalist Party has announced it will "take a step back" from electioneering during February, due to the carnival festivities.

PN information director Frank Psaila said the PN was expecting Labour to agree with its position to "allow carnival organisers and families to celebrate these festivities".

"The PN believes carnival should be celebrated during its own time, irrespective of the election campaign, and that the political parties should accommodate carnival organisers, and not the other way round."

Psaila said carnival was an integral part of Maltese culture, and that during the 2003 election the government had not postponed carnival due to the election campaign

Carnival in Malta in 2013 will take place between the 8 and 12 February, while elections will take place on 9 March.

In a later statement, the PN said that politics is the be and end all, adding that "maturity requires politicians to start accommodating others and not being accommodated by others."

"It's a shame that Labour is only interested in accommodating itself," the statement said.

While noting that carnival was an important cultural event the PN said the activity attracts tourism. The PN said that postponing carnival would have a detrimental affect on tourism operators, hotels and employees in the sector.

"Carnival must be held in its proper time and political parties must take a step backwards, as the PN did in 2003, allowing the people to enjoy Carnival. Since carnival will be held in the midst of an electoral campaign the PN encourages carnival organisers to include political satire as happens in other European countries and not postpone carnival to accommodate Joseph Muscat."