Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/818637
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 3 MAY 2017 News 7 MIRIAM DALLI PRIME Minister and Labour leader Joseph Muscat will be contesting the second and fifth districts, possibly setting up a direct clash with former Labour MP Marlene Farrugia. Address- ing a boisterous crowd in Zur- rieq, the fifth district's largest locality and a Labour strong- hold, Muscat announced that he is running on the two districts. The 2013 elections had seen Muscat running on the second and fourth districts in which he got over 25,000 votes altogether. Muscat's decision to run on the fifth district will seek to fill the void left by the well-liked Karmenu Vella, who is now a European Commissioner, and Marlene Farrugia, who between them got over 10,000 votes in 2013. Farrugia has since resigned from the Labour Party and her f ledgling Democratic Party will be running on the PN ticket af- ter joining forces with the oppo- sition. In a recent TV interview she signalled her intention to con- test the fifth and seventh dis- tricts. Reacting to the announcement, Farrugia challenged Muscat to a public debate in the Zurrieq square. In a Facebook post, Far- rugia challenged the Prime Min- ister and said Muscat had elimi- nated all other MPs in order to contest the district. More votes are for grabs as foreign affairs Minister George Vella, who also contested the fifth district, has called it a day after a good 30 years in politics. "I know that you felt that I took Karmenu Vella away from you and it felt like you've become orphans. So now I'm commit- ting myself to represent you, if you give me your trust, like I will represent the second district," Muscat told an ecstatic crowd. He spoke of his government's achievements over the past four years, from economic growth to equality and social justice. He argued that electing the Labour Party to power would also result in more spending power for citi- zens. "Europe is asking how we're managing this economic mira- cle," he said. To chants of 'Joseph! Joseph!', the Labour leader said he was humbly asking them to trust him for another five years. "Don't let them fool you that there isn't a choice. The choice is whether you want to keep on moving on the road of success or to turn back the hands of time. Who do you trust to lead the economy? Joseph Muscat or Simon Busuttil?" he said, as the crowd once again burst into ap- plause. "Remember that these are the same people who governed for 25 years," he said, to booing. "These are the same politicians who left Malta with high utility bills and deficits." And Muscat, who on Monday night launched the La- bour Party's electoral campaign at 11pm, reminded his support- ers of the first five priorities an- nounced yesterday morning. The Labour government reiter- ated that the Labour government has learnt from its mistakes: "We are humble. We apologise for our mistakes." The past four years saw the government being questioned over a number of decisions, some of which also led to resignations of Cabinet members – notably the Old Mint Street expropria- tion which led to the resignation of former parliamentary secre- tary for land, Michael Falzon. In the case of the €4.2 mil- lion Café Premier bailout, the Auditor General said there was insufficient justification not to pursue legal action in a bid to rescind the lease on the Valletta premises. However, Muscat has also bat- tled the Panama Papers rev- elations which saw his chief of staff and a minister exposed for owning offshore companies in Panama. Now, a magisterial inquiry – requested by Muscat himself – is investigating al- legations over the ownership of Egrant Inc, which according to a whistleblower is linked to the Muscat family. "We apologise for our mistakes and I shoulder the responsibil- ity. I humbly ask you to trust me again," he said. Muscat in election showdown with Marlene Farrugia Labour leader Joseph Muscat announces that he will be contesting next month's election on the second and fifth districts The Prime Minister, his wife Michelle and (right) deputy PM Louis Grech at Zurrieq yesterday