Maltasong chairman decides to step down

Charlò Bonnici will be stepping down as Maltasong chairman once the curtain falls on the Eurovision Song Contest on May 24.

After holding the post for three years, Mr Bonnici feels that he has given all he can in the present circumstances and set-up and it is now time to move on.

Mr Bonnici is resigning before his term expires in May next year. However, he will see the organisation of the contest right through to the end before he resigns.

This week sees him starting a new chapter in his life and he is also leaving his job at MPS Limited to take up the post of private secretary to Education Minister Louis Galea on Monday.

However, Mr Bonnici ruled this out as the reason behind his resignation, saying he had made up his mind months ago.

"I felt I gave it all I could. I hope that the present set-up, in which Maltasong falls under the umbrella of the Arts Council, will bear results and there will be collaboration from all sides to implement the necessary changes," he said.

"Maltasong has to go beyond just Eurovision and it should serve as a launching pad for Maltese singers and bands on the international scene - everybody has to be geared to accept new ideas and changes," he said.

Mr Bonnici has been credited with introducing numerous changes to the way the Malta Song for Europe Festival is organised.

He brought about new voting procedures, gave more voting power to the people through higher weighting for televoting, and more recently shifted the festival venue from the Mediterranean Conference Centre to the tent in Ta' Qali.

Mr Bonnici reached the peak of his chairmanship last year when Ira Losco became the first local contestant to place second in the Eurovision.

He has been involved in the local festivals scene for several years and he held the post of Malta Song Festivals' committee spokesperson for two years before succeeding Gaetano Abela as chairman.

Mr Bonnici thanked all those on the Maltasong board and the MPS directors for all their support. The new chairman, who will take over after the Eurovision contest, has not yet been identified.