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4 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 21 JULY 2024 NEWS FOR SALE QUAD BIKE BOMBARDIER 650CC (2006). My black and yellow beautiful almost immaculate, always serviced quad is, with a heavy heart for sale. She is licensed till October 2024 and road ready. It's now time for someone else to enjoy. Annual road is €259. Asking price is €3500. Call or WhatsApp on 79990807. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Last month, Prime Minis- ter Robert Abela said he will support Metsola as a Maltese national despite having differ- ences with her. Only Labour MEP Thomas Bajada followed his lead. "Alex and Daniel had every right to vote as they please, but their action is symbolic of the growing rift within the La- bour Party that sees the Joseph Muscat faction manoeuvring to weaken Robert Abela," a source in the party's executive, who was granted anonymity to speak freely about internal matters, told MaltaToday. Alex Agius Saliba had been the first PL MEP candidate to invite Joseph Muscat to address supporters at the launch of his election campaign in March, giving the former disgraced prime minister a platform at a time when speculation was rife, he could be a candidate. The same source said Muscat never had the intention of run- ning but the enthusiasm creat- ed around a potential bid was intentioned to take the wind out of Abela's sails. "Joseph and his clique were supporting Alex Agius Saliba all the way because they see him as a potential leader af- ter Robert Abela and someone who could be sympathetic to their cause," the source said. A September showdown Another source said Abe- la's leadership is not at stake but confirmed there was a lot of "manoeuvring" underway to weaken his position. The source said the PL will be head- ing for a showdown of sorts in September when the party elects its executive and ad- ministration and a new deputy leader to replace the outgoing Daniel Micallef. "People close to Joseph Muscat have been using so- cial media to target people in the current administration in what is a clear attempt to lay the groundwork for a possible takeover by individuals who could be more sympathetic to the former leader," the source said. So far, no challengers have come forward in a game de- scribed by another source as a "tragic soap opera". "What is leaving me bewil- dered is Robert Abela's appar- ent inability to defend people in the administration from these attacks, even though he knows he is the ultimate target," the third source told MaltaToday. "There is an internal fight that is brewing for the soul of the Labour Party." But the battle lines are an- ything but clear with Abela caught in a state of paralysis in the aftermath of the local and European elections. Militants vs moderates The Prime Minister has failed to take any meaningful action in public to signal some form of change in direction after the election results. In the absence of a clear roadmap different people and different factions are pulling in every direction. "There are those who feel the Labour Party must get closer to its grassroots and appear more militant, while others feel it must reach out again to the moderate middle ground, which was put off by the she- nanigans outside the court- house when Joseph Muscat was arraigned," another source said. The internal friction has not only been exported to Brus- sels but was also on full display when Labour councillors in Birkirkara were asked to vote for the independent candidate as mayor. The decision led to Yana Debono Grech, niece of Labour veteran Joe Debono Grech, resigning from the par- ty after she broke ranks and abstained. Debono Grech ob- tained the most votes and is ex- pecting to be the PL's only con- tender for mayor even though Birkirkara has a hung council. Abela came under fire over the instructions given to the PL councillors to support the independent candidate and in subsequent comments he sug- gested Debono Grech could al- so find herself in a position of authority, hinting at some form of role in the party's structures or possibly even parliament. "It is clear that Robert Abela does not enjoy undisputed au- thority over the party and part of the problem is his attitude of leaving people unsure where he stands on an issue," another source suggested, adding the PL is destined for a "red hot summer". 'Manoeuvring' underway to weaken Robert Abela's position, PL insider claims Robert Abela congratulated Roberta Metsola for her election as EP president but side-stepped questions on the abstention of Alex Agius Saliba and Daniel Attard Alex Agius Saliba remained seated with a sullen face while other MEPs congratulated Roberta Metsola for winning a second term as EP president with 90% of the vote