Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1124848
12 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 2 JUNE 2019 KURT SANSONE LABOUR Party activists smiled, banged in joy on the Perspex, chanted 'Joseph, Joseph' and walked the corridors of the Naxxar counting hall with heads held high. The PL not only won the Eu- ropean Parliament election re- soundingly last week but paint- ed the local council map red. Here was a party that has got used to winning one election after another in a decade under the leadership of Joseph Mus- cat. But in the counting hall the air of jubilation among PL activists and candidates was also under- pinned by trepidation over the dawn of the post-Muscat era. Joseph Muscat has indicated that he will not be contesting another general election but the timing of his departure remains uncertain. All indications point towards an exit after the sum- mer months. There is the chance Muscat will decide to stay on but insid- ers believe this is a remote pos- sibility. Although the vast majority of party activists and supporters want him to stay, many are slowly realising that Muscat's departure is now a step closer to reality after these elections. PL activists are bracing them- selves for a leadership contest to find Muscat's replacement and at the counting hall, pro- spective leadership candidates mixed with agents, joined in their celebrations, hugged and patted them on the back. The race has not yet kicked off but the contenders have been doing the warm-up laps and this was more than evi- dent over the past few weeks. Miriam Dalli The European election result gave Miriam Dalli a strong reason to lay claim to the leadership when Muscat steps down. Dalli has so far been very coy on the subject with close aides telling MaltaToday that she will not make any move until Muscat makes clear his inten- tions. The Labour MEP received more than 63,000 votes in the election, the highest number of votes achieved by any PL candidate ever. Her perfor- mance shows that she enjoys widespread popular appeal, an important ingredient for any prospective leader. Dalli secured a quarter of all votes cast in the elec- tion, obtaining more than the combined vote of the two PN candidates who were elected. Her campaign slogan, The Next Level (Il-Livell li Jmiss), which was used on several occasions by the Prime Minister himself, may have set the tone for Dalli's eventual leadership bid. Her result sent shockwaves within the party and pretenders to the throne will undoubtedly be taking note of her popularity and the support she has received from people close to Muscat. Ian Borg The Infrastructure Minister will not publicly admit that he is interested in the leadership post when Muscat resigns but over the past month he has upped his game, adopting the slogan 'Get- ting Things Done'. The 33-year-old minister is us- 2 4 1 2 1 2 3 4 3 4 NEWS Hexagon House, Spencer Hill, Marsa. Date: Thursday, 13th June 2019 Venue: Dolmen Hotel, Qawra Time: 18:00hrs - 20:30hrs era.org.mt Tel.: 2292 3500 PUBLIC CONSULTATION MEETING SINGLE USE PLASTICS Have your say on the dra Single-Use Plas c Products Strategy for Malta 2020-2030, developed by the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA), in collabora on with the Ministry for Environment, Sustainable Development and Climate Change. Comments made will be considered in the finalisa on of the policy. Register online on era.org.mt by the 10th June 2019. Reserva ons on first come, first saved basis. Refreshments served a er the mee ng. Free parking within hotel precincts. Labour leadership race: Ready, set… wait PL activists are bracing themselves for a leadership contest to f ind Muscat's replacement, and at the counting hall prospective leadership candidates mixed with agents, joined in their celebrations, hugged and patted them on the back Although the vast majority of party activists and supporters want him to stay, many are slowly realising that Muscat's departure is now a step closer to reality after these elections