Malta is set for a referendum on divorce after the Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi of the National 
Christian Democrat party wrote to opposition Labour party leader Joseph Muscat and proposed May 28 as the date for a vote.
Malta is the only country in Europe that still bans divorce.
Mr Gonzi has proposed a straightforward question on whether or not Maltese want divorce.
However, Mr Muscat has already rejected this wording, as has pro-divorce Nationalist MP Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando.
“Should that [wording] be the case I will campaign for a ‘NO’ as it would practically be giving any government a blank cheque to introduce a Las Vegas style of divorce, whereas the bill before Parliament prevents such a thing,” Pullicino Orlando said.
According to the Prime Minister,, his wording would allow MPs to vote freely according to their conscience.
Mr Gonzi’s letter was communicated to the media soon after Labour presented another motion in Parliament calling for the House to debate a motion calling for a referendum on the introduction of divorce next Tuesday.
Mr Gonzi said that he was proposing two amendments to the motion presented by the Opposition:
1. The opposition had proposed that the referendum should be held within 40 days of the publication of the writ, thus avoiding a clash with the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows and Easter. However, the Prime Minister said, he felt this period was too short, and proposed that the referendum be held on May 28.
2. Labour’s motion for holding a referendum showed that his own parliamentary group was not completely in favour of the Divorce Bill. He added that referendum question the people should be asked, should be a straightforward question of whether or not they agreed on the introduction of divorce.
According to Mr Gonzi , “MPs would consequently be able to vote freely and according to the views expressed in the referendum and according to their conscience.”
Finally, Mr Gonzi proposed that the debate on the motion for the holding of the referendum should start next Wednesday, and concluded by March 16.
