Pullicino Orlando and Mugliett to back Budget

MPs Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando and Jesmond Mugliett will vote in favour of the Budget, despite their differences with the Nationalist Party. Both MPs fell out with the PN last June after they were banned from contesting the election for disobeying the party whip on a vote against Malta’s EU Ambassador Richard Cachia Caruana. Dr Pullicino Orlando, who has since resigned from the party to become an independent MP, told The Times he would support the Budget. “There are a number of measures that are quite positive, considering especially the financial situation, and yes, I will definitely be voting in favour of the Budget,” he said. Mr Mugliett, who did not attend the news conference addressed by the Prime Minister after the Budget, kept his words to a minimum but was equally categorical: “I will be voting in favour of the Budget.” The first and most important vote on the Budget will be held on December 10, after the Prime Minister responds to the Opposition Leader’s reply on the Budget. With the support of Dr Pullicino Orlando and Mr Mugliett secured, the Nationalist Party’s fate will depend solely on Nationalist MP Franco Debono, because the government has a one-seat majority. Dr...