Maltese ready for polls

Date: 10/04/03

MALTA'S opposition Labour Party has reiterated that it will block the island's accession to the EU if it wins a general election this Saturday (April 12).

Instead, it plans to develop only limited political and economic ties with the Union, according to Jimmy Magro, the party's secretary-general.

He said Labour did not accept the outcome of last month's referendum on EU membership, which resulted in a 53.5% vote in favour of joining with 44.5% against.

Labour contends that the combined number of "No" voters and abstainees exceeded the "Yes" votes by almost 8,000.

He also claims the poll was non-binding.

"If you really believe in democracy, you would say it was not really a democratic referendum," he told this paper. "The European Commission spent €500,000 for the "Yes" side to win."

Magro also alleged that Prime Minister Eddie Fenech Adami has been "scaremongering" about the consequences of not entering the Union.

An opinion poll published in Malta's Sunday Times newspaper last weekend put the ruling Nationalist Party well ahead with 49.7% support, compared to 29.7% for Labour and 18% undecided.

Malta's opposition Labour Party has reiterated that it will block the island's accession to the EU if it wins the general election on 12 April 2003.