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maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 26 FEBRUARY 2014 10 IN the coming days, Prime Min- ister Joseph Muscat is expected to announce the name of the new President. Although the role is mostly ceremonial, his choice of President is set to shake up Mus- cat's Cabinet and expose his judg- ment to public scrutiny. Replacing outgoing President George Abela with the much ad- mired Social Solidarity Minister Marie Louise Coleiro Preca will certainly please more than just La- bour voters. However, her appointment is also being considered as a "mistake", not only because Muscat is set to lose an important asset but also because the list of possible replace- ments is scant. Muscat's insistence on having a woman as President has led to the probable appointment of Coleiro Preca, who over the last year, has consistently topped MaltaToday's popularity survey. The pluses At 55, Coleiro Preca would be the youngest President in Malta's young Republican life. Moreover, she would also be the second wom- an to occupy the post after Agatha Barbara, also a Labour stalwart, who was appointed President in 1982, aged 59. With Muscat intent on nominat- ing a politically astute person who holds social justice at heart, Colei- ro Preca fits the bill perfectly. Throughout her political ca- reer, which started over 30 years ago, Coleiro Preca has relentlessly championed the cause of the poor and the underprivileged. If she is appointed as President, the Qormi MP will certainly bring poverty and social exclusion to the forefront, building on the social dimension that Abela brought to the Presidency over the past five years. Moreover, Coleiro Preca prides herself on being a people's politi- cian and this would definitely en- dear the Presidency further, across party lines. Muscat is keen to have a Presi- dent who would be perceived as being the guardian of the vulner- able, which would balance out his government's pro-business out- look. Appointing a Labour stalwart such as the former PL secretary- general would also galvanise La- bour voters in the run up to the European elections in May and break with the trend of appointing a president from the Opposition's ranks, started by former Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi in the previous legislature. The minuses A number of analysts view Colei- ro Preca's promotion to President as a mistake that would deprive Muscat's Cabinet of her drive, pas- sion, diligence and affability. Although it is understood that Coleiro Preca has not opposed Muscat's pro-business agenda and his hawkish stance on migration, promoting her to San Anton Palace reduces the risk of having a promi- nent Cabinet member standing up to the government's neo-liberal policies such as the Individual In- vestor Programme. It is understood that Coleiro Preca was at first reluctant to ac- cept the offer, and given the Presi- dency's symbolic nature, the role would limit her effectiveness in the social sector. Appointing the popular MP as President would also dent the La- bour government's electoral mus- cle, with Coleiro Preca receiving the second highest number of votes in Labour's ranks in 2013, with only Muscat garnering more votes. Finding a suitable replacement could also give Muscat a few head- aches, with the list of candidates on government's backbench being meagre at best. Understandably, Muscat could look for a replacement in his cur- rent team of ministers, leading to wider reshuff le. Shuffling the cards If Coleiro Preca is appointed President, her Parliamentary seat is most likely to be filled by former Labour minister and current Ene- malta chairman Charles Mangion, who failed to be re-elected in last year's general election. However, the biggest question mark remains on who will replace Coleiro Preca as family and social solidarity minister. Muscat could opt to redistribute the current Cabinet's portfolios and go for a safe bet and replace Coleiro Preca with current social dialogue, civil liberties and con- sumer affairs Helena Dalli. The last two social policy minis- ters, both women, Dolores Cristina and Coleiro Preca were the most popular ministers in successive MaltaToday surveys. The only other three women in the Labour Party Parliamentary group who have no ministerial re- sponsibilities are Justyne Caruana, Marlene Farrugia and Deborah Schembri. All three stand an outside chance, however with Farrugia ruff ling the government's feathers on a number of issues and Schembri standing for the European elections in May, Caruana is the only one with real- istic chance of being promoted to the Cabinet. However, she is more likely to replace fellow Gozitan MP Franco Mercieca as parliamentary secre- tary for the elderly and disabled. Another option would be of reu- niting social policy with the edu- cation portfolio, currently held by Evarist Bartolo, however this would create a super ministry, which clashes with Muscat's preference for a larger Cabinet and smaller ministerial responsibilities. Coleiro Preca's appointment would also provide Muscat an opportunity to carry out a major Cabinet reshuff le. Muscat has so far refused to com- ment on any reshuff le, yet aides confirm that the Prime Minister "is in a very pensive mood", will- ing to take advantage of the win- dow of opportunity created by the vacuum in the Presidency and EU Commissioner's job. The word is that Muscat is to announce a major reshuff le of his first administration before the run up to the European parliamentary elections. "The underperformers will be castigated, the stars pro- moted," a source told MaltaToday earlier this month. Finance minister Edward Sciclu- na and Health Minister Godfrey Farrugia top the list of underper- formers and the rising stars are Owen Bonnici, Edward Zammit Lewis and Ian Borg. Ministers who have gained brownie points for their dedication and commitment are Konrad Mizzi, Marie Louise Coleiro, Evarist Bartolo, Joe Mizzi and Chris Cardona and they may retain their position. PN quandary Coleiro Preca's appointment is not cast in stone and the prime minister could yet come up with a trump card and put forward a dif- ferent name. However, it seems that Coleiro Preca has reluctantly accepted the offer and she will be sworn in as President in April. Unquestionably, Muscat has ruled out nominating a President from the Nationalist camp and seems set on opting for somebody who embraces his political vision. The Constitution stipulates that the President "shall be appointed by Resolution of the House of Rep- resentatives" and although this only requires a simple majority, it is customary for prime ministers to consult the leader of the oppo- sition. Last week, PN leader Simon Bu- suttil said that so far he has not been consulted by Muscat and it is thought that the PN will only take an official stand on Coleiro Preca's imminent nomination after hold- ing a Parliamentary group meet- ing. However, if the PN insists that it would only back the nomination of a person belonging to its camp, Busuttil risks appearing parochial and isolate himself from the wider electorate. It looks unlikely that the opposi- tion votes in favour of Coleiro Pre- ca's nomination. However, it can take the middle road and abstain in the Parliamentary vote. Yet the PN could put partisan interests aside and back the nomi- nation of Coleiro Preca who enjoys the approval of 40% of PN voters in the latest MaltaToday survey on ministers' ratings. After all, the President's role is highly ceremonial and should be a symbol of unity rather than the tribal divide which is tangible in all levels of governance in Malta. News Jurgen Balzan Coleiro Preca: Necessary sacrifice or a smart move? A number of analysts view Coleiro Preca's promotion to President as a mistake that would deprive Muscat's Cabinet of her drive, passion, diligence and affability Muscat is keen to have a President who would be perceived as being the guardian of the vulnerable, which would balance out his government's pro-business outlook Download the MaltaToday App now