And the people's choice for President is...

People seem to want to be represented by a President who is free from political affiliation, as debate starts to intensify over who should be Malta's next head of state.

However, others do not have a problem with a political figure becoming President, justifying their choice by stressing that experience had proven that their preferred candidate was "apolitical" or "independent" despite political ties.

The Sunday Times reported that three former political heavyweights - European Commissioner Joe Borg, Speaker Louis Galea and former Finance Minister Lino Spiteri - are thought to be the leading candidates to succeed President Eddie Fenech Adami as his five-year term ends on April 4.

Dr Borg and Dr Galea have both had prominent political careers in the Nationalist Party while Mr Spiteri was a minister in various Labour governments before he resigned abruptly from politics in 1997 after falling out with party leader Alfred Sant.

A fourth name being mentioned is that of Judge Giovanni Bonello who sits on the European Court of Human Rights.

Comments from people in a vox pop in Republic Street, Valletta, revealed mixed reactions to the four names. However, all justified their preferred choice by saying he had proven to be "independent".

A 29-year-old lawyer said Dr Galea had the stature of a President while Dr Borg was a person with an international face. Political affiliation was not really an issue as past presidents had risen to the occasion, irrespective of political background, the lawyer argued.

Thinking outside the list, a 50-year-old man mentioned former Ombudsman Joe Sammut as a potential President adding he has been "apolitical".

A 60-year-old man went for Mr Spiteri explaining that, although he had a Labour affiliation, he had "shown balance".

Two 59-year-old friends said they thought Judge Bonello was the man for the post since he had no political ties and, having been a judge, he would have the courage to take a just decision when needed. Comments posted on timesofmalta.com showed Judge Bonello as the preferred choice mainly because he did not have a political background.

"Malta and the Maltese deserve a President who is independent of any political party and applied justice equally to anyone, with no preferences," one man wrote.

Some readers questioned why the next president had to be someone from a political or judicial background. One person wrote: "There are so many other fields of human activity where people of dedication, talent, integrity and intelligence have won consensual respect and admiration for their selfless dedication to their cause".

In fact, people came up with their own suggestions for President that included the likes of former Labour deputy leader George Abela, environmentalist Astrid Vella, authors Oliver Friggieri, Henry Frendo and Achille Mizzi and economist Edward Scicluna.

Meanwhile, The Times also sought the opinions of three persons who have held high posts in the land. Former Ombudsman Joe Sammut (who did not know he had been mentioned as someone who could fit the bill) echoed the people's general feeling. He said that, ideally, the next President should be someone who represented all the Maltese and did not have a political affiliation "as that can be a liability".

Fr Peter Serracino Inglott, a philosopher and former University Rector, agreed that not having a political affiliation was a good thing but should not be the chief consideration.

"The main consideration should be the suitability of the person for the role, such as whether the person has the ability to deal with difficult situations should they arise," he said.

On a different note President Emeritus Ugo Mifsud Bonnici said that, although a President need not have been a politician, his experience taught him that a President needed to have a "political milieu" to address and solve certain problems that may arise.