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WEDNESDAY EDITION
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WEDNESDAY • 15 JANUARY 2020 • ISSUE 670 • PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY
EDITORIAL • PAGE 9
ANALYSIS
OPM
Continuity
works
both
ways
Neville Gafà
resigns from the
Office of the
Prime Minister
Robert Abela:
Carpe diem
or blissful
honeymoon?
KURT SANSONE
SIMON Busuttil will be resigning his
seat in the Maltese parliament after
being appointed secretary general of
the European People's Party.
The former Nationalist Party leader
will be occupying one of the highest
posts within the EPP structure, effec-
tively making him the second in com-
mand after party president Manfred
Weber.
Busuttil replaces outgoing EPP sec-
retary general Martin Kamp, who
retires after 12 years in
the post.
Robert Abela's long day
selecting a large Cabinet
Simon Busuttil takes top
EPP job, will resign from
Maltese parliament
RAPHAEL VASSALLO
PAGE 10
PAGE 5
PAGE 3
PAGE 4
PAGE 3
PAGES 6 & 7
LABOUR MPs and for-
mer ministers spent the
day twiddling their fingers,
waiting for the Prime Min-
ister's phone call as Robert
Abela started forming his
Cabinet.
Abela spent his first full
day in office yesterday
meeting individual MPs at
Castille, where he informed
them of the ministerial
posts they will hold in his
Cabinet.
No information was forth-
coming from MPs as they
exited the Prime Minister's
office but it appears that
Abela has stamped his au-
thority on Cabinet through
a major reshuffle of people
and portfolios.
Chris Fearne was re-ap-
pointed as health minister
and deputy prime minister,
although not without con-
troversy.
Fearne, who lost the lead-
ership race to Abela, was
reportedly reluctant to
serve in Cabinet and was
twice seen entering Castille
in the morning.
Multiple sources within
the health sector told Mal-
taToday that Fearne finally
accepted to continue serv-
ing in his previous posting,
where he has
delivered.
Simon Busuttil
The new prime minister arriving at Castille for his first day of work