Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi yesterday showered praise on his predecessor and justified the cabinet's decision to appoint Eddie Fenech Adami as the next President, saying Dr Fenech Adami was the best choice for the country.
Speaking during a visit to the party's San Gwann club, Dr Gonzi said the Maltese parliament would today choose Dr Fenech Adami as the country's next President.
The Labour Party is to oppose the nomination.
"If we ask who we want to represent us, what we wish to see in the person, the answer would be someone who lived, and did not just speak about, principles," Dr Gonzi said.
Dr Fenech Adami, he added, lived the principles of honesty, integrity, and commitment. They were part of him and within him.
He was someone representing the solid values he believed in. Dr Fenech Adami believed in democracy and solid values, he enjoyed respect in Malta and throughout the world, especially in Europe, where last year he had also been recognised as European of the Year.
Dr Gonzi said he was not reducing from the validity of the others who had been nominated but the best choice for the country always had to be made.
And the best choice to represent the country as a whole was that of Eddie Fenech Adami.
The prime minister said he had been following what was being said in the past week, including the General Workers' Union appeal for him to meet them.
"I met the GWU throughout my ministerial experience and I will continue to meet them like I will continue to meet all unions." Dr Gonzi said he believed dialogue could be translated into benefit for the country but this did not come with threats or if a union ignored the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development, a forum the government had set up purposely for the creation of dialogue.
He referred to his recent experience at the EU summit where he said he had represented Malta and the Maltese and was treated as an equal to the prime ministers and presidents of all the other countries.
"If one is convinced and persuasive, one would be treated like any other but if one stammers, they will stammer with you," he said.
The PN's candidates for the forthcoming European Parliament elections on June 12, Dr Gonzi said, were convinced while those of the MLP were stammering. This was because their candidature was based only on the convenience of the moment.
These elections, he said, presented another choice the people had to make between convenience and conviction.
If the people chose the Nationalist candidates to represent them in the EP, the government was convinced these would translate the country's new reality of membership into benefit for the country.
The country, Dr Gonzi said, was living an important moment now and in the coming weeks.
The Nationalist Party was renewed and strengthened with the changes made in its topmost positions.
The country had a new prime minister, a new deputy prime minister and a new strong cabinet showing its determination to exploit all EU opportunities.
Dr Gonzi said that in less than six hours after taking his oath as prime minister, he had a cabinet team that was capable of translating the forthcoming opportunities into improvements for all.