Alternattiva Demokratika chairman Michael Briguglio yesterday said he would not be seeking re-election as leader of Malta’s Green party.
Dr Briguglio will recede from the political limelight after assuming the party leadership in 2009. He will, however, hold on to his Sliema council seat, where he has been a fixture for the past decade.
A sociologist by profession, he said the decision stemmed from a desire to spend more time with his loved ones and further develop his musical and academic interests.
Stepping down now meant the party would have plenty of time to regenerate itself and prepare for the 2014 European Parliament elections, “where I believe that the Green party can make history yet again, this time by having someone elected”.
A new party chairman will be elected during its next general meeting, with a call for candidates expected to be publicised over the next few weeks.
AD general secretary Ralph Cassar told The Times the general meeting would either take place at the end of the month or beginning of May.
“Michael was extremely focused and diligent,” he said. “But politics is tiring, especially when you’re a minnow trying to swim upstream.”
In a personal blog post announcing his decision to step aside, Dr Briguglio said the party was in a much better situation now than it was when he had first assumed control, “when it was in near-existential crisis and had a lack of active members”.
Although AD has yet to win its first parliamentary seat, the 5,500 first-count votes polled by AD in last month’s general election was a record high for the party.
Dr Briguglio listed the electoral result as one of his term’s highlights, although he was keen to point out it was not the only one.
“AD once again started re-electing councillors...and was instrumental in the divorce referendum. AD produced the most progressive party manifesto ever, did away with its financial debts, and experienced an influx of activists and spokespersons,” he said.
He thanked party colleagues and volunteers for their support and asked them to respect his decision to step aside.
“If life is a question of ‘to have or to be’, as Erich Fromm once put it, I wish to opt for the latter,” Dr Briguglio said.