Busuttil to lead PN
De Marco, Zammit Dimech withdraw from leadership race
Simon Busuttil will succeed Lawrence Gonzi as Nationalist Party leader after he won just over half of the PN councillors’ votes yesterday.
This is a great moment for the party- Gonzi
Though he failed to bag the statutory two-thirds majority, second-placed Mario de Marco withdrew from the race after he gained 38.5 per cent of the party councillors’ votes.
Dr Busuttil, 44, a former MEP and a European law expert, obtained 50.3 per cent.
The result led to the direct elimination of Raymond Bugeja, who garnered 5.2 per cent, though former minister Francis Zammit Dimech, who achieved six per cent of the preferences, also withdrew.
Dr Busuttil needs two-thirds of the councillors’ votes on Wednesday to be elected leader, though this is expected to be a formality.
Speaking on Net news shortly after the contest, Dr Busuttil said the party must rebuild itself and prepare for the next challenges, starting with the European Parliament elections.
Dr de Marco, the former tourism and culture minister, said he was pulling out of the contest because he always accepted the will of the majority.
“The contest is over and now it is time for dialogue and change in this party,” he said, urging his supporters to take his cue and vote for Dr Busuttil on Wednesday.
The two main contenders elicited loud applause as they hugged each other on stage.
Mr Bugeja said he was proud of the PN and its structures and promised to continue working for the party.
His comments were echoed by an emotional Dr Zammit Dimech, who thanked outgoing leader Lawrence Gonzi for placing the national interest before anything else.
During an impromptu news conference, Dr de Marco, Dr Zammit Dimech and Mr Bugeja said they had no intention of contesting any other party post.
Dr Gonzi said the PN always proved to be a strong party in times of difficulty and the road had started towards regaining people’s trust.
“This is a great moment for the party. This party will win battles. Don’t be afraid of those moments when we are behind because these are the times which make the party stronger,” he said.
Dr Gonzi thanked Mr Bugeja for joining the race from outside the party ranks and singled out Dr Zammit Dimech for his constant loyalty.
By withdrawing from the contest, Dr de Marco showed the party came first and foremost, he said.
“The party asked Simon to make sacrifices and I am sure he will be determined to achieve results,” the former prime minister said.
“I particularly thank those who worked with me for the past nine years. Together we worked for the country; what we achieved is not mine but yours,” he told councillors.
Voting began at 10am yesterday and lasted until 9pm, giving ample time for the 901 eligible councillors to cast their votes to choose the party’s new leader. Of these, 897 cast their vote.
Tension mounted as the voting boxes started being opened in a packed counting hall at the PN headquarters. At around midday yesterday, the four contenders appeared in the building’s lobby – accompanied by Dr Gonzi, general secretary Paul Borg Olivier and PN executive council president Paula Mifsud Bonnici – to cast their votes.
Mr Bugeja had to take a step back and look on as he was not eligible to vote since he is not a councillor.
An hour or so later, former leader and President Emeritus Eddie Fenech Adami also cast his vote.
All three candidates were engaged in intensive campaigning ever since the incident-free race started.
The contest is over and now it is time for dialogue and change in this party- de Marco
Dr Gonzi was elected PN leader in March, 2004 when he won 94 per cent of the councillors’ support in the second round of voting after the other contenders, John Dalli and Louis Galea, currently a European Court Auditor, pulled out of the race.
Dr Gonzi succeeded Dr Fenech Adami, who was elected leader in January 1977 with 88.8 per cent of the votes after beating Guido de Marco and Ċensu Tabone in two previous ballots, which proved inconclusive.
Dr Gonzi’s nine-year tenure came to a harsh end when he lost the March 9 general election to Labour with a 37,000 majority. He had immediately declared he would step down as PN leader.
A look back
1977 election
Guido de Marco - 40% of the vote
Eddie Fenech Adami - 51%
Ċensu Tabone - 9%
2004 election
John Dalli - 25% of the vote
Louis Galea - 16%
Lawrence Gonzi - 59%