Four candidates have been identified as the Labour Party's frontrunners for next year's European Parliament elections, The Sunday Times has learnt.
There may be 10 months to go, but several individuals have already confirmed their intention to put their name forward on the MLP ticket.
However, senior MLP officials said that the party would be backing MEP Louis Grech and former Labour Party deputy leader George Abela, who recently failed in a leadership bid.
The party is also expected to give strong backing to former Sea Malta chairman Marlene Mizzi and Maria Camilleri, who recently rejoined the party's ranks after severing ties with former leader Alfred Sant.
The four are being considered as the party's best hopes due to their broad appeal to moderates.
It is clear that both the main parties will be fielding a wide spectrum of candidates for the June elections, which will be new Labour leader Joseph Muscat's first electoral test.
MEP John Attard Montalto is also expected to contest, though MLP sources say the flamboyant lawyer will be getting no favours from the party's top echelons.
Glenn Bedingfield, who is widely expected to assume an EP seat when Dr Muscat gives up his to take up one in Malta's parliament next month, is also expected to contest. He polled over 13,400 votes in the 2004 election.
Two other names being touted are party journalists Charlon Gouder and Claudette Baldacchino, the latter already setting up her own Facebook group: 'Claudette Abela Baldacchino - Your Choice, Your Voice in Europe'.
Somewhat jarring on the list of MLP candidates is the name of Sharon Ellul Bonici, a self-confessed eurosceptic who actively campaigned against Malta's entry into the EU and recently against the Lisbon Treaty.
When contacted, Labour leader Joseph Muscat said: "All our candidates will need to make a clear commitment towards party policy. There are no 'ifs' and 'buts' - we are a pro-European party."
The MLP said it will field 10 candidates who must be approved by the party general conference after they receive a 50 per cent plus one endorsement from delegates. The new statute also lays down a minimum of two women candidates and one who has resided in Gozo for 10 years.
On the other hand, the Nationalist Party is biding its time, with sources saying that the team selection process was still in "embryonic" stage.
According to sources, the PN is expected to initially announce six candidates, approved by the party's administrative and executive sections, with the likelihood of fielding four other candidates later in the campaign.
MEP Simon Busuttil is once again expected to be the party's frontrunner, especially after he was cast as Lawrence Gonzi's right hand man during the last general election. Dr Busuttil had steamed into the European Parliament in 2004 with a staggering 59,000 votes.
David Casa will be hoping to win a second term in Brussels, after closely edging out Joanna Drake four years ago.
Edward Demicoli, the press and political officer of the European Commission Representation in Malta, is also expressing interest in the post. A former deputy head of Malta EU Information Centre, he is expected to capitalise on his father's (Charles Demicoli) close connections with the party.
Roberta Tedesco Triccas will be having a second shot at the EP after obtaining a respectable 5,200 votes in the 2004 election. The young lawyer has spent the past four years working within Malta's Permanent Representation to the EU in Brussels. Former nurses' union boss Rudolph Cini is the only candidate to officially announce his intention to contest for the PN.
Alternattiva Demokratika chairman Arnold Cassola is also expected to contest once again. He obtained 22,938 first count votes in 2004, but he failed to win a seat. A spokesman for the party said AD was likely to field one or two candidates.
The Labour Party had obtained 48.4 per cent in the 2004 election, securing three seats in the European Parliament, with the Nationalist Party winning just 39.8 per cent of the vote. Malta was due to obtain an additional sixth seat under the Lisbon Treaty, but Ireland's failure to ratify it earlier this year means that only five will be up for grabs in next year's election.
hgrech@timesofmalta.com