Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/828624
ELECTION SPECIAL €1.00 Newspaper post FRIDAY • 26 MAY 2017 • ISSUE 535 • WWW.MALTATODAY.COM.MT ELECTIONS DAYS TO GO 8 PAGE 6 Prime Minister warns of 'constitutional crisis if PN is elected on a lie' MIRIAM DALLI IRRESPECTIVE of the out- come of the 3 June general elections, the country will have to come to terms with either of two scenarios, ac- cording to Prime Minister Joseph Muscat. Speaking on yesterday's edi- tion of current affairs pro- gramme Xtra hosted by Sav- iour Balzan, Muscat argued that if the Nationalist Party were to win the election, and the Egrant inquiry confirms that there are no links with the Muscat family, "then Si- mon Busuttil would have been elected on a lie". If, on the other hand, the Labour government were to be re-elected, the Leader of the Opposition would still have to shoulder responsibil- ity for the allegation, Muscat argued. "I reiterate that I will resign if the inquiry finds anything in my regard. If Simon Busut- til is elected, he will be faced by the biggest constitutional crisis this country every faced – especially with a one- seat majority held by Marlene Farrugia." He insisted that the elector- ate would not accept such an outcome. Asked what happens if the inquiry is published after the election, the PN is elected and he is proven 'innocent', Muscat replied that it would become "the magistrate's problem". PAGE 5 Marlene Farrugia not for sale, Busuttil insists YANNICK PACE MARLENE Farrugia, the lead- er of the Democratic Party and the PN's junior coalition part- ner was not for sale but was a woman of principles who had not sought anything in ad- vance when agreeing to join the Forza Nazzjonali coali- tion, Opposition leader Simon Busuttil said yesterday. "If Marlene Farrugia had asked for anything, or to be appointed minister if we won, I would not have even accept- ed to run under one ticket," he said. Busuttil insisted that the electoral manifesto was drawn up jointly by the PN and the PD and both parties' leaders had in fact committed to see- ing the measures through. "I count on her integrity and know that as I am committing myself to this manifesto, so has she," he said. The PN leader revealed that a document was to be published later on today providing more details on the €2.3 billion met- ro project being proposed by Forza Nazzjonali. He said that transport was of major concern to the Nation- alist Party and the Democratic Party, which was also why they had also proposed other short-term measures such as providing free transport for all church and independent schools as well as government schools. Marlene Farrugia and her partner Godfrey Farrugia both former Labour MPs will be contesting on the PN ticket Joseph Muscat