Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1525930
4 NEWS 4 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 28 AUGUST 2024 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 In 2008, Anglu Farrugia was elected Labour deputy leader for parliamentary affairs, beat- ing Chris Cardona in an elec- tion run-off, despite the latter being then-leader Joseph Mus- cat's candidate of choice. Following the European Par- liament election this year, the Labour Party was hit by a string of resignations from its top roles. First to resign was Daniel Micallef from deputy leader for party affairs, with Ramona Attard and Randolph De Battista following suit. Former deputy prime minis- ter Chris Fearne also resigned from his deputy leadership post after being charged in re- lation to the fraudulent hospi- tals concession. Vying for the post of presi- dent to replace Ramona At- tard, two people have submit- ted their nomination: former mayor Alex Sciberras and Nor- ma Saliba. Insiders explained how de- spite Saliba having Labour sympathies, with her father veteran sports reporter Mario Saliba being a well-known del- egate, she has never been ac- tive in the party. Alex Sciberras on the other hand a lawyer by profession and son of the late Justice Phil- ip Sciberras has been a Labour candidate on national level, an executive member of the Labour party for three terms, a participant in district com- mittees, Msida mayor, a legal consultant in the Joseph Mus- cat secretariat and a regular commentator for Labour in the media. However, it is well-known that Sciberras is not on the best of terms with the Labour leader, and insiders fear that this could impact his election chances. Nonetheless sources close to Sciberras have said that the candidate was overwhelmed by the reception he was receiving from delegates. "There is feeling of discon- tent especially in the way the new posts were formulated and dictated by Castille," they said. "And there is also concern that the Labour leadership needs to listen more to the delegates. Sciberras will exploit this." They way posts have been dictated by Castille has ruffled feathers, with a number of po- tential candidates left unhappy with the situation. They include Josianne Cuta- jar, a former MEP who was promised the post of Deputy Leader for Party Affairs, but discovered that the post had been also promised to MEP Alex Agius Saliba. In the Eu- ropean Parliament it was well known that the two Labour MEPs were always at logger- heads with each other. Other people who had shown interest in the deputy leader- ship post included Education Minister Clifton Grima, who was encouraged at one point by Robert Abela to contest. Alex Sciberras was alos discouraged in putting forward his candida- cy by the Prime Minister him- self, insiders said. Other posts which caused some headache included the post of Chief Executive of the party, which was vacated after the departure of Randolph De Battista. At the very last min- ute, the Prime Minister opted for Leonid Mackay instead of party stalwart Nigel Vella. Vella had been told by the Prime Minister he would be his choice for the role, but was left in the cold without even being informed. Shortly after the PL an- nounced McKay's appoint- ment, Vella took to Facebook with a cryptic post that he re- moved shortly afterwards. In his post, Vella wrote: "A phone call that changes everything. Not even face to face because that is too hard. A punch, two punches, this time around nothing will go unchallenged." Mackay also served as Agius Saliba's campaign manager during this year's MEP elec- tion. But insiders also believe that Alex Agius Saliba and Ian Borg are expected to invigorate the party through their established networks and connections. Agius Saliba is Labour's most popular MEP, while Borg is considered an authoritative voice in the party. A senior adviser to Prime Minister Abela, told MaltaTo- day: "We will have an indom- itable triumvirate in the next general election that is for sure, and it will pay dividend, wait and see." The upcoming Labour Party internal elections are sched- uled to take place on Septem- ber 13 and 14. Norma Saliba and Alex Sciberras vying to replace Ramona Attard as PL president They way posts have been dictated by Castille has ruffled feathers within Labour Elderly woman killed after she was struck by vehicle in Qormi AN elderly woman died after she was struck by a vehicle in Qormi on Tuesday. Police said that they were in- formed of an accident in Triq l-Isqof Scicluna at around 1:45pm. The victim, a 77-year-old woman who lived in Ħaż-Żeb- buġ, was certified dead on- site. Police said she was hit by an Isuzu NQR driven by a 34-year-old who lives in Bir- gu. The driver was taken to Mater Dei Hospital for further observations. Police investigations are still ongoing, and Magistrate Joe Mifsud launched an inquiry. This was the second road fa- tality registered on Tuesday. Photo: Facebook