The Malta Independent on Sunday
‘Candidates’ coy on intentions for PN deputy leadership race
In the run up to the meeting of the PN Executive Committee which tomorrow evening will establish the time-frames for the election of the new deputy leader, all interested parties have remained silent, preferring to wait for the right moment to make their move.
Last Sunday, Tonio Borg announced he was stepping down as Deputy Prime Minister, less than 24 hours after he was nominated to succeed John Dalli as European commissioner. According to Dr Borg, the post for which he is vying requires a candidate who is completely detached from partisan politics. However, his eagerness to resign suggests that the party was keen to take the opportunity to renew its leadership, which was created in the aftermath of the resignation of former commissioner John Dalli.
Contacted by this newspaper, PN Executive Committee president Marthese Portelli refused to give any indication of when the new deputy leader will be announced. She said that, according to the party’s statute, the election must be held within two months of Dr Borg’s resignation, which was exactly a week ago.
Based on the time frames of previous contests, including the one for the leadership held at the start of the year when Dr Gonzi was the only contestant, it is more than probable that the election will be held towards the end of next month.
Although the general secretary is probably more influential in the PN’s hierarchy than the deputy leader, the current circumstances are an exception.
With questions being raised about the future of Lawrence Gonzi’s leadership – irrespectively of the outcome of the next general election – the post of deputy leader is being viewed as a stepping-stone for the ultimate prize of the leadership.
In the short term, the new deputy leader will have a mission to project change at the helm of the party, which was been in power for 25 years apart from 22 months.
So far, several names have been mentioned, both in the media and also in party circles, but no one has come out to publicly declare an interest. Up until now, the front-runner has seemed to be Simon Busuttil, who is serving his second term as an MEP.
Last month, Dr Busuttil announced his intention of standing at the next general election, fuelling speculation that he will be one of the candidates vying for the leadership when the present incumbent, Lawrence Gonzi, calls it a day.
Other interested parties – at least for the post of deputy leader – include Tourism Minister Mario de Marco, Justice Minister Chris Said, Finance Minister Tonio Fenech and MP Beppe Fenech Adami.
With the exception of Dr Busuttil, all the above have to carry the political baggage of the unpopular decisions that have taken the current administration to the brink of collapse. Such a consideration will surely be relevant if the party finds itself in Opposition after the next general election.
Party activists who are pushing Dr Busuttil to bid for the leadership have been keen to stress this point, claiming that it will be crucially important to strike a note with disgruntled Nationalists. Such a move would be remarkably similar to the path that led Joseph Muscat to the helm of the PL.
Contacted by this newspaper, Dr Busuttil declined to comment. According to his spokesman, the PN MEP was very much involved in the lobbying campaign among fellow colleagues in Strasbourg to support the nomination of Dr Borg for commissioner. He claimed that this left no time for Dr Busuttil to reflect on his options.
The other people rumoured to be interested have all been shying away from the subject. Nevertheless, in the coming days – and possibly by the end of next week – the picture will be much clearer, with the nomination period probably open.