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maltatoday, SUNDAY, 3 SEPTEMBER 2017 News 5 SAVIOUR BALZAN ELECTIONS for party leaders are hardly ever without drama or intrigue, but the run-up to this election for leader of the Nation- alist Party is a far cry from the elections held so far. In 1977 the leadership cam- paign to replace Gorg Borg Ol- ivier saw two main contenders. Guido de Marco, at the time the most sought after criminal de- fence lawyer in Malta, and anoth- er lawyer, Eddie Fenech Adami, who had just attained the third highest number of first count votes after Mintoff and Borg Ol- ivier in the 1976 election. In one his meetings, De Marco, who joined the Nationalist Party from Herbert Ganado's Partit Demokratiku Nazzjonali, re- counted a narrative of Chamber- lain and Churchill – the appeas- er and the winner. He argued that "Malta needed a Winston Churchill". Guido's parallels were clear: Labour leader Dom Mintoff was Hitler, Chamberlain was Fenech Adami and Churchill was De Marco himself. Soon after, at one of his own campaign meetings, Fenech Ad- ami referred to the parable indi- rectly by stating that it was easy to be a Churchill. In deadpan fashion, he pulled out a sizeable cigar, lit it and smoked it right in front of his audience, who laughed away at the expense of De Marco. Fenech Adami was elected leader but instead of discarding his main rival he embraced De Marco as his deputy leader in a sign of unique magnanimity. He went on to be become the longest serving prime minister, winning five elections for the PN, though he was Opposition leader in the 1981-87 legislature, having won the highest number of votes in the 1981 election, but Mintoff winning the majority of seats in parliament. The trend ended in 2004, with three contestants, Lawrence Gonzi, a former Speaker of the House and social affairs minister, and finance minister John Dalli and education minister Louis Galea. Gonzi won 59.3% to John Dalli's 25.3% and Galea's 15.4%. Dalli faced unusual quizzing from the Xarabank and Bondiplus programmes on TVM, and was under the spotlight by the and the traditional English-language press. When he did lose, he ac- cused the party machinery head- ed by Joe Saliba, then secretary- general, of supporting Gonzi by planting new councillors with a vote for Gonzi – the accusation would resurface over and over again. The bitterness between Gonzi and Dalli remained until the end, and worsened after Gonzi sup- ported Tonio Borg for the post of deputy leader. Later Dalli would say that after coming second in the 2004 leadership contest, he would have been more than will- ing to be part of the PN leader- ship. Before the 2013 election, Si- mon Busuttil returned from Brussels to run for deputy lead- er instead of Tonio Borg, now kicked up to the European Com- mission to replace the sacked John Dalli. He was elected PN deputy leader after a convinc- ing performance which saw him obtain 640 votes out of 884, gar- nering the required two-thirds of the votes, 72% of votes against finance minister Tonio Fenech's 241 votes. Busuttil was clearly chosen by Gonzi to be at his side in the upcoming election. After the 2013 election, Gonzi resigned, and Busuttil went on to become the new PN leader after winning 50.3%, or 451 votes of 897 votes cast, in the first round of the party's leadership contest. Mario de Marco came second with 38.5% (345 votes) of the vote, Francis Zammit Dimech got 6% (54) and outsider Ray Bugeja came in last with 5.2% (47). Busuttil became the new leader of the Nationalist Party, with 93% or 802 yes votes, 18 invalid votes and 61 no votes. This was the second round of the leader- ship election. This time round, after two landslide electoral victories for the Labour party and Joseph Muscat, the resounding message in the PN's grassroots has been for the party to be led by a com- plete outsider. Adrian Delia was just that: he entered the fray as a complete outsider. He succeeded in win- ning the official support of four MPs but not of the rest. Crucial- ly, one of the MPs who support- ed him was Jean Pierre Debono, who also serves as PN Assistant Secretary General, with a re- sponsibility for the councillors. He also roped in the support of the media-savvy Pierre Portelli, a former PN employee who is now director at The Malta Inde- pendent. Portelli is respected by many councillors who see him as secretary-general material. On the other hand, Delia has had to face the implacable re- sentment of Daphne Caruana Galizia, who has waged an unu- sual surprising war against him on his track record in business deals. And there has also been the clear opposition of PN leader Simon Busuttil. But such is the feeling of despair in the PN's ranks that even the offshore rev- elations on Delia's services to Maltese businessmen in Soho, may have had little or no effect on him. "The party was in fact obliged to investigate the allegations which had, on the whole, overshadowed the debate during the electoral campaign." He would not go into the mer- its of the decision of the party's administrative council to call on Delia to reconsider his candidacy. "Irrespective of that, the coun- cillors and the members all had access to the full report issued by the Ethics Committee," he said. "If they analyse that report and everything else, they should still be in a position to elect the can- didate that would make the best leader for the PN." Fenech played down claims that some candidates – particularly Delia – would fail to have the full backing of the party and the parliamentary group, if elected leader. "I have no doubt that the new leader will have everyone's back- ing after all is said and done, even of the party's parliamentary group," he said. He recalled that in 2004, when Lawrence Gonzi and John Dalli were in the running to succeed Eddie Fenech Adami at the helm of the party, the parliamentary group was literally split down the middle in the support for the two candidates. "Back then, most MPs had de- clared openly who they were sup- porting even if there wasn't the evident, public infighting among candidates that there is today," Fenech said. "This time, it will be easier for many MPs to mend bridges since most have not publicly endorsed any of the candidates." He was sure, he stressed, that the party will be 100 percent be- hind the new leader, once this process is over. pcocks@mediatoday.com.mt always rally leader' REQUEST FOR QUOTATIONS – OFFICE SPACE The Malta Residency Visa Agency, notifies that quotations will be received for office space to house various departments falling under its remit. Such office space will be required for a long term lease of five (5) years. Period of leasing may be extended further. The usable office space required is of approximately 500 sq.m. The building must be fully accessible and conforming to local building regulations and standards, as well as being in possession of the necessary permits as required by the relevant authorities. The office space must be fully furnished (excluding furniture) and complete with all amenities including toilets, kitchenette, air-conditioning, meeting rooms and a reception area. Preference will be given to property that :- - Is finished to high standards and quality; - Is ready for immediate move in within a period of three months; - Is equipped with a burglar and fire alarm; - Has availability of parking facilities for the Agency employees and visitors. Detailed information indicating the exact location and size of the proposed premises as well as photos/plans certified by an architect/MEPA permits and drawings of both the interior and exterior of the property as well as rental fee, are to be received in a sealed envelope at the :- Malta Residency Visa Agency Clock Tower, Level 1, Tigne' Point, Sliema TP01 by the 7th of September 2017 For further enquiries, please contact Ms. Anne Spiteri at : anne.spiteri@gov.mt Take it from a former minister: "This time, it will be easier for many MPs to mend bridges since most have not publicly endorsed any of the candidates" From Fenech Adami's cigar jibe, to the outsider's challenge Guido de Marco and Eddie Fenech Adami: leadership rivals who then became the PN's deputy leader and leader respectively, forming an alliance that kept the party's broad church together