Joseph Cuschieri (S&D). – (MT) I wish to call attention to the political developments in Malta over the past few months. The Nationalist Party won the general elections in 2008 with a relative majority of 49.3%, which means a majority of one Member of Parliament. Over the past few months, this majority in Parliament has lost important votes, Members on the government side have abstained a number of times and also voted against government policy, and votes of no confidence have been tabled against government ministers. What is more, a member of the governing parliamentary group has resigned. This means that the governing party does not have a stable majority in Parliament but only a coalition agreement with this member.

In Malta, the Government is governing without the support of an absolute majority of the people and without a stable majority of members in Parliament. The Maltese Parliament has not functioned properly for some months now. State news broadcasts are manipulated by the governing party. This situation requires the Government to seek democratic backing from the electorate. That means the calling of elections. The Nationalist Government has not done so. If it is to face up to the economic crisis, Malta needs a government that is stable and capable of governing without uncertainty. I appeal to the European Parliament to monitor the situation in Malta very closely.