John Culatto
TOGETHER Gibraltar announced a major U-turn this week by ending plans to unite with main Opposition party GSD before the 2023 election.
The newest of all the local parties, that got a very creditable 20.5% of all votes at the 2019 election said talks had broken down with the GSD Executive over a pre-election alliance.
“While there are many respectable voices within the GSD who we looked forward to working with, it seems that too many in the party want to continue to fumble in disarray,” Together Gibraltar said in a statement.
The party lost its charismatic leader and only MP, Marlene Hassan Nahon, last June.
But under her former deputy leader, young Nicky Calamaro, the party has vowed to soldier on and fight for seats in opposition.
It followed months of talks between the parties, which left Calamaro on the verge of a deal with the GSD that was in office from 1996 to 2011 under Chief Minister Peter Caruana.
“Together Gibraltar remains committed to fighting for representation in parliament and beyond,” it said in a party statement.
“Creating a genuine political change is tough going, but looking at Gibraltar’s history, we know it can be done.”
It promised to build on the work done by Marlene Hassan Nahon who TG said had contributed to public debate and helped many people.
In a broadside to its would-be partners it said ‘the GSD has failed to deliver’ an opposition that is ‘effective and consistent’.
Instead TG said it could be all that with more ‘sustainability, equality and greater opportunities’.
Despite hints that the election could be held in September, the Chief Minister Fabian Picardo has still not announced a date.
It leaves Gibraltar standing on a similar precipice of a whole new post-Brexit reality to Spain, which is already looking at new elections in December as neither side has been able to form government.
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