[LIVE] No-confidence motion live blog - follow us here

Follow us live at 6pm for Parliament's second sitting on the Opposition's no-confidence motion.

Join the debate on Twitter using hashtag #confidencevote - yesterday's live-blog is here [CLICK].

10:11pm Vassallo ends his speech and the House is adjourned to tomorrow at 9am. Government's worst fears of an incendiary speech by Debono and further criticism by other MPs have not materialised. All indications point to a defeat for the Opposition in tomorrow's vote. Joseph Muscat will have to come up with a forceful and convincing speech to justify the no-confidence motion.

10:10pm "I thank Franco Debono for his honesty and for sharing his thoughts. He has now put the Opposition in difficulty. The Opposition tried to use Debono to attain power."

9:59pm Vassallo repeats the accusation many other Nationalist MPs addressed to the Opposition in this week's debate, that of not having a valid reason for tabling the motion and of having no concrete proposals. "Joseph Muscat is scared of revealing his proposals. No shop ever keeps empty shelves. You either have no product to sell or you are scared of showing your product"

9:51pm "Franco Debono's speech was no different from what the people are saying in the streets and in shops. Franco Debono has every right to criticise government. Now that we know what was worrying Franco debono, it is the Opposition that should worry."

9:48pm Edwin Vassallo addresses the House. He is the last speaker for tonight. 

9:41pm The Prime Minister walks out of Parliament, to apparently meet his entourage, led by Gordon Pisani (Head of government communications), which has just entered the House.  

9:37pm PN backbencher Peter Micallef addresses the House.   

9:29pm In a stark contrast with the initial stages of the debate, Lawrence Gonzi is all smiles and is sharing a joke with Beppe Fenech Adami and Edwin Vassallo. 

9:26pm Franco Debono's speech was not as vociferous as one would have hoped or feared, depending on one's standpoint. Debono has left the House together with the majority of MPs. At present Joseph Muscat is the only MP present on the Opposition bench. Opposite a thoughtful Muscat, sits Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi who looks relieved and much more relaxed then he was before Debono's speech. The strangers' gallery which was filled to the brim is now desert. 

9:23pm Debono ends his address. Nationalist MP Karl Gouder is now addressing the House. As soon as Debono ended his speech there was a mass exodus of MPs. 

9:22pm "I was elected in a democracy. I am worried about the issues I have listed. I am worried about keeping a minister accountable. Nobody carries responsability and who disagrees with this culture is asked to resign. This is a medivial mentality. The Prime Minister has every right to choose his Cabinet and I have every right to disagree with the Prime Minister's policies. Creating jobs does not justify gagging the people who concerned about other matters."

9:15pm Debono says the Prime Minister had to resign over the divorce issue because he voted against beacuse he was sure the vote will still go through. Debono says the divorce referendum result might have been a divine message to persons who act against their declared beliefs. 

9:14pm Debono asks to extend his speach by ten minutes. Both sides agree. Three speakers are to follow Debono. 

9:11pm "The Prime Minister should not create a parallell universe for ministers and another one for backbenchers. The Prime Minister's vote in Parliament over the divorce was wrong."

9:09pm Debono speaks about the errors committed in the health sector reform.  

9:05pm Debono breaks the tension which engulfed the Chamber by joking about veteran MP Joe Debono Grech's age. 

9:04pm "These events damage teamwork." Debono says Scvhiavone has a bigger hunger for power then Joseph Muscat. 

9:03pm He says when an MP is elected on a party ticket he/she is obliged to represent the electorate. It is dangerous to have a Prime Minister and a Cabinet of ministers do as they like without having a regulated President's office. Debono is now speaking on teamwork. "Unfortunatley people will confirm that the Nationalist Party is not in a good shape." He mentions the Hermann Schiavone issue as an example. Schaivone had accused Debono of being the author of an anonymous letter. Schiavone was repriminded by the PN and removed from the list of candidates. However lately Schiavone was seen in numerous public events orgainsed by the party. 

8:55pm "Who commits mistakes should carry the responsability and resign. The lack of accountability in Malta is part of our culture. In my thesis I said MPs should be reluctant to emberrass government but it does not apply when memebers of the same government are doing their utmost to emberrass government itself."

8:53pm "The new power station in Marsaxlokk will pollute and cause diseases."

8:52pm He says it is unaccteptable that State TV is used to favour some ministers and destroy some other persons. He says broadcasting needs to be reformed in order to remove the need to have private and political stations owned by the parties. 

8:49pm "When people agree with me it means that what I am saying must be right. Political parties remain the most unregulated bodies in the country. Hopefully parties are not abusing from this. We also need to reform the electoral system and the way the President is elected."

8:46pm "A politics of spite is even more dangerous then envy. When mistakes go unpunished it is wrong, as it is wrong that people who have ideas go unnoticed. It is wrong when the Prime Minister is surrounded by people who think that a member of parliament is a toy who can be pushed around. This attitude shows what these people think of the country. And I am being very tactful in not mentioning names."  

8:44pm "A prime minister who does not care or thinks he can bulldoze his way on everything and everyone is asking for trouble."

8:40pm To give his speech a further theatrical feel, Debono's phone regularly rings but he swiftly turns it off as he speaks. 

8:39pm "I was not given the right to speak my mind by anyone in Parliament. I was given that right by the people who voted me in parliament. It is your duty however to hear what I have to say."

8:37pm "If I had not stayed home in 2009 during the parliamentary vote on justice reform, the right to have legal consul when under arrest would have never been discussed."

8:36pm He says the Attorney General office holds too much power. He also adds that "We have dismantled our judical system to create a new one full of problems" 

8:33pm Debono is explaining why he was right in calling for the seperation of the Justice and Home Affairs Ministries. He also explains why the justice administration needs to be reformed. He says these topics are not very "romantic" but need to be reformed.  

8:31pm "Carm Mifsud Bonnici who I initially supported, did not introduce neccessary reforms to have court sittings recorded digitally, instead we still use cassette tapes in court."

8:29pm Debono lambasts the denial to film and broadcast parliamentary sittings. He asks whether there is any hidden agenda in denying the right to broadcast parliamentary sessions. "In the time of iPad's, parliament is using cassette tapes and radio."

8:26pm He highlights the importance of the seperation of powers, the recognition of rights and strengthening democracy in making sure the economy is on the right track.

8:24pm Debono speaks about the importance of mantaining stability in Europe.

8:23pm "Allow me to make one warning. The economy is not the main problem in Europe. It is rather a political one."

8:22pm "Oil prices are one variable in the price of water and electricity. However it must be said that the country has never invested in the energy sector. We are now investing in heavy fuel oil, instead of investing in a gas pipeline."

8:20pm "When comparing Malta to other countries we havr to put everything into perspective. We cannot be overly romantic. We have to give a clear picture of reality."

8:18pm "Work is important. In 1987 the Nationalist party's mantra was 'Work, Justice and Liberty'. Work is important but it is not the only important factor in a democracy."

8:16pm "I love the Nationalist Party and I have been very loyal to the Prime Minister although I have not always been respected. I agree with Censu Galea about th eneed to condemn hate blogs."

8:15pm Franco Debono addresses the House. 

8:13pm Franco Debono looks anxious to commence his address. He looks restless and nervous as he waits for his time. 

8:03pm Azzopardi says the Nationalist government does not have a divine right to govern but the people deserve to know what the Opposition's proposals are. He says that a question mark hangs on Labour MEP Edward Scicluna's proposals on education as he had likened university students and the stipend system to a sacred cow. 

8:02pm "People feel that the country does not need a general election right now. People are more concerned with jobs and the economy."

8:00pm "Joseph Muscat's short speech at Labour's general conference illustrates a lack of ideas. Even some speeches held in band club general meetings are longer than Muscat's."

7:57pm Newly appointed Minister Jason Azzopardi addresses Parliament. Franco Debono's speech will be held later then expected due to some delays caused by the Holocaust remembrance speeches. 

7:56pm Mario Galea: "Populist politics leaves you looking on, in the gallery. You need a script to be on stage."

7:54pm As Debono's speech approaches, more MPs trickle in. In contrast with the last two sittings, the majority of MPs are in the House.  

7:50pm "What will the Opposition do if it is at the country's helm? What will it do to combat the international turbulence. At least, Franco Debono has many proposals." 

7:45pm "When I sat next to Franco yesterday I told him that I disagree with his methods but at least he has got the people to pray."

7:45pm Parliamentary Secretary Mario Galea addresses the House. 

7:44pm Censu Galea: "I join Anglu Farrugia in condemning hate attacks on blogs and I condemn the use of such tools to spread hate. However, we must not only condemn these practices at all times not only when it is convenient. We must also condemn the Opposition's media which is also used to spread hate and lies."

7:38pm Whilst Censu Galea is speaking about the motion of no-confidence not being in the country's best interest, government and opposition MPs look tense and nervous as the clock runs down and Debono's much awaited speech is getting closer.  

7:32pm Minister Austin Gatt is conspicuously missing from government's bench. Gatt and Debono had a showdown in November which led to the Opposition calling for a vote of no-confidence in the Transport Minister which was defeated thanks to the Speaker's casting vote after Debono's abstention.  

7:27pm Nationalist backbencher Censu Galea addresses Parliament. 

7:26pm Nationalist MP Edwin Vassallo sits next to a tense Franco Debono. Vassallo however manages to steal a smile out of Debono.

7:24pm Dolores Cristina: "The Opposition is trying to make the people forget government's track record." 

7:23pm Similarly to yesterday, parliamentary secretary Mario Galea sits down next to Debono and chats with him. They are joined by party whip David Agius in what seems to be light-hearted conversation. Galea is said to have been the go-between for Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi and Debono during recent weeks.

7:20pm "The lack of an explanation in the Opposition's motion confirms Labour's opportunism."

7:17pm Dolores Cristina produces another litany of achievments and successes. She also points out that the Opposition had no valid reason to call for a vote of no-confidence. 

7:15pm Franco Debono enters the Chamber. He sits in the same seat he occupied on Monday and Tuesday at the far end of government's bench next to the exit. Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando is seated in front of Debono. 

7:12pm Education Minister Dolores Cristina addresses the House. 

7:11pm "We remain the party of the people and with the people."

7:09pm "The Opposition wants nothing but power. I expect that collegues are loyal to eachother. Loyality does not only demand to praise the leader, but depends on what we do, say and write."

7:03pm Pullicino continues the trend of speeches held by government MPs over the last two days by listing the achievements of the current administration and describing the Opposition's motion of no-confidence as pointless. 

7:00pm George Pullicino: "At every new dawn government spends €1.5 million on education. On the other side we have an Opposition who turned university stipends into debt."

6:59pm Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando enters the Chamber. Franco Debono is still absent. 

6:58pm Pullicino brands Joseph Muscat a "storyteller".

6:56pm "The leader of the Opposition had said 'Power is the means to an end' During last Sunday's address at the Opposition's general conference he did not spell out his policies. All he offered was hope. He said more about what his parents did then what he intends to do." 

6:54pm Parliamentary proceeding are renewed. Minister George Pullicino kicks off the debate on the no-confidence motion.

6:51pm Speaker Michael Frendo also makes a short address about the Holocaust and says it is important to remember such events to strenghten the future. He also says Malta was on the right side of history in the struggle against Nazism. A few moments of silence are being held.

6:46pm Labour deputy leader Anglu Farrugia holds the Opposition's address to commemorate the Holocaust. He recounts his visit to the concentration camp in Auschwitz. He says "we need to be careful from acts of hate." He also refers to the hate bandied about in blogs. Not to be outdone by Carm Mifsud Bonnici, Farrugia quotes Pope John Paul II about the Holocaust.  

6:45pm Mifsud Bonnici says we need to protect democracy by legislating against anti-democratic acts, racism and xenophobia. He says these efforts need to be doubled by holding educational campaigns about the Holocaust and the value of democracy. 

6:38pm Do not mistake this for the Italian parliament if you have tuned in now. It is Carm Mifsud Bonnici quoting Primo Levi about the Holocaust. 

6:37pm Home Affairs minister Carm Mifsud Bonnici is addressing the House in regards to remebrance day on behalf of government. He quotes amongst others Italian-Jewish writer Primo Levi. Mifsud Bonnici directly quotes Levi in Italian. 

6:34pm Proceedings stop and MPs hold short addresses in remembrance of the Holocaust. 27 January is declared by the United Nations as remembrance day. 

6:23pm Question time is proceeding normally. Visitors in the strangers' gallery curiously look on in silence. Maverick MP Franco Debono is expected to deliver a typically incendiary speech at 8pm.

6:19pm Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi takes his seat in Parliament. 

6:09pm In contrast with the last two sittings, Franco Debono is not present for question time. Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi is also absent. 

6:07pm The Speaker walks in the chamber and the sitting begins. The House is currently in question time.

6:05pm The House is strangely quiet. It seems MPs, as the rest of the country, are eagerly awaiting Franco Debono's speech. 

6:01pm Sitting yet to begin. Only six MPs are present. Opposition leader Joseph Muscat enters chamber now.  

5:30pm Welcome to MaltaToday's live blog for this evening's session on the Opposition's no-confidence motion. We will be updating speeches by MPs minute-by-minute.