Councils election result sends loud message to both parties - Beppe Fenech Adami

Backbencher Jesmond Mugliett says the “Franco Debono issue” delayed both parties’ campaigning for the local councils elections.

12 March 2012, 12:00am
by Miriam Dalli

1 min read

Nationalist Beppe Fenech Adami says results sent loud message to the parties

All politicians seem to be agreeing that the result of last Saturday's local councils elections are a sign of dissatisfaction in the local councils and a protest vote towards the Nationalist Party.

Speaking on One TV's Inkontri this evening, Nationalist MP Beppe Fenech Adami described the result as a message addressed "primarily" to the PN.

"The low turnout is a message primarily addressed to the PN, were a substantial amount chose not to vote for it," Fenech Adami said.

"It could have been a mixture of everything: those influenced by government's policies and other influenced by purely local issues."

Fenech Adami said one should accept the fact that the electorate eyed local councils elections differently from the general one. "I am convinced that the turnout in the general elections will be much higher," he said.

He also said that the Labour Party shouldn't take for granted the fact that "thousands" of Labourites also abstained from voting.

"Despite its campaigning to try and depict a new movement, the PL failed to mobilise thousands of Labour supporters," he said.

Backbencher Jesmond Mugliett said that while one couldn't contest the fact that the low turnout was a protest vote, one couldn't ignore "the local realities".

"Residents expected better and wished for more from their local councils but were instead faced by several controversial issues," he said, adding that the campaigning contributed for the disillusion of the electorate.

Mugliett described the political campaigns for the local councils elections as "interesting" and said the PN had predicted the result and decided not to "maximise" its campaigning.

"The campaigning also started much later than usual due to the Franco Debono issue," he said, referring to the delay caused by the no-confidence vote taken in Parliament in January.

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

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