Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/240181
14 News maltatoday, SUNDAY, 12 JANUARY 2014 Muscat eyeing majority of votes in European elections Prime Minister sets sight on winning majority of votes, not seats, in forthcoming European Parliament elections JURGEN BALZAN LABOUR has set its sights on winning a majority of votes in the 24 May European elections, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said yesterday. Speaking during the launch of Labour candidate Mario Farrugia Borg's campaign, Muscat pointed out that in the previous two European Parliament elections, the party in government had come out on the losing end. Labour currently holds four seats of six in the European Parliament. Describing Labour for the ump- teenth time as the "underdog", Muscat said his challenge was for Labour to become "the first party in government to win the majority of votes in a European election". Interestingly, Muscat has set his sights on retaining a majority of votes in the May elections, but not on retaining the majority of seats. In the two previous elections, Labour emerged victorious, earning three out of the five seats available. In the last round, Labour elected a sixth MEP after the Lisbon Treaty increased Malta's allocation of seats. Based on the 2009 European Par- Labour candidate Mario Farrugia Borg (left) with Prime Minister Joseph Muscat liament election results, the PN has as good a chance of winning three seats as Labour has of retaining four seats. In 2009, the election result was worked out on five seats, while next year's election will be worked out on six. In his brief address, Muscat said the major difference between Labour and the Nationalist Party lay in the Opposition's "insistence in tarnishing the country's reputation over the controversial citizenship scheme". The PN's MEPs have managed to put the citizenship sale up for debate in the European Parliament next week. This apparent stand "contrasted with Labour's belief in a united country," Muscat claimed, and insisting that Labour was honouring its 'Malta for all' electoral slogan. Muscat also thanked Farrugia Borg for accepting the electoral "challenge" put to him, describing the Muslim convert's candidature as "historic". While facing harsh criticism for his government's hawkish stand on migration, Muscat said that Farrugia Borg's candidature symbolised Labour's readiness to "embrace diversity". "This is what differentiates Labour from others. We must not erect any walls, but open up and welcome new people while ensuring that the country's identity is strengthened," Muscat said. Describing himself as a social-democrat, Farrugia Borg stressed that he backed Muscat's efforts to attract the EU's attention over migration. "I take pride in his efforts because in a short period he has done much more than his predecessors." Insisting that he was no xenophobe, Farrugia Borg – who works at the Prime Minister's secretariat – said that the EU was "obliged" to help Malta face the challenges posed by migration. "This alone is reason enough to vote for Labour candidates in May," he said. Oil drillers month ext AN agreement has been reached with the government for a sixmonth extension to the production sharing contract covering Area 4 of Malta's oil exploration map. Mediterranean Oil and Gas secured the extension on Area 4's Blocks 4, 5, 6 and 7 so that the contractors can have sufficient time to complete the exploration drilling activities that are forecast to start during the first three months of 2014. With this extension, the expiry of the first exploration period to