PM clarifies election date comment after Muscat criticism

The Prime Minister in a statement has clarified comments he made on television this morning about the date of the general election and local council elections. Speaking on TVAM this morning, Dr Gonzi had said that Labour leader Joseph Muscat had wanted the general election to be held in February, but he (Dr Gonzi) disagreed and insisted that the general election should be held together with the elections for local councils on March 9. Dr Gonzi said the local council elections could not be brought forward, and holding them separately would have cost the country an extra €1 million. However, this afternoon, the Office of the Prime Minister  said the prime minister was clarifying that the Local Councils Act provided that local council elections may be brought forward or postponed. Reacting to claims by Joseph Muscat that the prime minister had chosen the latest date possible, the OPM  said that the general election could still have been held later than March 9. March 9 was chosen in the national interest to coincide with the date when the local council elections were due. It also clarified that the local council elections cost €1.8m.  In his reaction after Dr Gonzi's initial...