MLP to discuss leadership issue in two meetings

The Labour Party's national executive and the parliamentary group yesterday set the dates of the two general conferences that will reappoint or change the party leadership.

The conference that will decide on the party leader will be held on May 15 and another will follow on May 22 when a decision on the deputy leaders will be taken.

Party sources said both deputy leaders, George Vella and Joe Brincat, have expressed their intention to resign on condition they will be able to contest the posts again.

Party leader Alfred Sant has already publicly declared he would not be running again for the post of leader but calls have been made by Labour mayors and at grassroot level urging him to reconsider his decision.

Among the names likely to run for the top post are George Abela, John Attard Montalto, Evarist Bartolo and Anglu Farrugia.

Dr Abela is a former deputy leader of the MLP who, at the general conference held in 1998, had declared that if the party was heading for a general election, he was going to "stop there". The proposal to call an election had been made by Dr Sant, then prime minister, just 22 months into the legislature following differences with Dom Mintoff, then an MP. Labour had lost the election.

A decision was taken at yesterday's meeting on the districts in which bye-elections are to be held following the election of MPs on two different districts: the eighth (Alfred Sant); the third (George Vella) and the tenth (Evarist Bartolo).

Party sources put Joe Debono Grech as the front runner for election on the eighth district. Joseph Cuschieri appears to be the best positioned on the third, while on the tenth the likely winner is Joe Abela.

The meeting also decided to appoint a working group to analyse the general election and report back.

A programme of activities was approved for the May 1 celebrations, which have been given the theme of "A future in peace and solidarity".