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De Marco, Said and Pierre Portelli ideal PN triumvirate, readers says
Over 3,700 online respondents pick their favourites to take the PN's top leadership posts.
Mario de Marco (left)... slightly more popular than Simon Busuttil right now.
Careful: this is a non-scientific, online poll among MaltaToday.com.mt readers - and former Nationalist MP Franco Debono comes in as a third favourite to contest for the PN leadership.
Don't fret. The MP who forced the fall of Lawrence Gonzi's government when he voted against the approval of the budgetary estimates in December 2012 is certainly out of the question for Nationalist councillors. Perhaps even more to PN members, had the next election for leader, deputy leader and secretary-general be open to paid-up members.
But the results of 3,774 responses to our question are indicative of a particular mood right now.
FULL summary of responses as registered in our form.
For example, Mario de Marco - the affable, former tourism and culture minister, whose patrician affectation sees him quote Shakespeare even when talking tough to Labour - puts him in pole position: 1,262 see him as the next PN leader.
Maybe it's the De Marco legacy. His father Guido stood side by side with Eddie Fenech Adami, after losing the leadership in 1977, as his deputy leader before being appointed President of the Republic in 1999. Or else it's the promise that he can truly open the PN up to its purported European and liberal identity, something that was evidently not in show under Lawrence Gonzi. If his disassociation from the current leadership is now being put into action, the popular feeling that De Marco should take over the reins of the leadership reflects his 'anti-clique' position.
However, the outsider Ann Fenech - popularly known as the TV guest on PBS brought in to hack away at the electoral result last week - is seen by our respondents as something of a wild card, coming in second with 774 votes. It's curious to know why a female leader, and one with no know political or party roots (except for her father having been Speaker of the House Nazzareno Bonnici) would be considered a 'PN papabile'.
While Franco Debono comes in third with 433 votes, current PN deputy leader Simon Busuttil gets 294 votes while Beppe Fenech Adami, son of Eddie, comes in close with 255 votes.
Evidently, the popular perception is that Simon Busuttil - elected in December 2012 on a promise to reverse dwindling support in the polls - is associated with the electoral loss that saw the PN garner just 43% of the national vote.
Busuttil does not even get in the top three for the position of deputy leader, which is popularly led by Chris Said, the former justice minister (601 votes); and - if we exclude Mario de Marco coming in second with 548 votes - there is Beppe Fenech Adami with 431 votes.
Busutti then comes in fourth with 349 votes, and again there's Anne Fenech and Franco Debono.
The man most favoured to be PN secretary-general, overwhelmingly, is Pierre Portelli, the former president of the PN's executive committee who resigned to focus on his production house and present TVAM. He gets 714 votes, and is separated from Chris Said as the next in line for secretary general by a margin of 440 votes.
Emmanuel Mallia •
Non of them is suitable, except Franco. They are all too conservative, with no new ideas, and probably all favored by Gatt & RCC
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Simon is key, in my view, in reconnecting the party with civil society. He has done so so ably over the years. That job does not require flamboyance or populist charisma. It requires intelligence, credibility and quiet determination, and civil society acknowledges that in Simon.
The party also needs to navigate towards a modern and secular platform that values and learns from its past, but is resolute in charting a solid vision for the future. Again, Simon is key for this because he is the strongest link possible to the European People's Party in Europe, which has already undergone that transformation.
I cannot see anyone else meeting those goals, so why not go for the real thing.
Maureen Attard •
Simon should resign from Parlament and keep his seat as an MEP. He is at his best as an MEP.
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With this triumvirate pn would have to wait till next century to have a chance of being elected to power. None of them has any charisma, drive or whatever. They are just gonzipn stooges. That's all.
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The electorate has, barely a week ago, thrown the government out in the most emphatic manner possible. To even consider a former cabinet member after such a catastrophe is sheer madness, and would be interpreted by the first time Labour voters as a further sign of arrogance and provocation, and they would be more than justified to do so. The party needs to reach out to civil society and it needs to propel its itself to the future as a modern and secular coalition of ideas and people, conscious of its past but confident of its future. Of those mentioned it has only been Simon Busuttil who has stuck out as the essential link with civil society, plus he cannot be linked with the previous government. Yes, he was deputy leader for 3 months, but the electorate voted on the former government's attitude and language throughout the last 5 years, not on the last 3 months.
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If only they had Franco Debono, but they don't. This is good news as they will stay in the opposition for a very long time.
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Daphne should be the undisputed new leader while Ann Fenech her deputy.
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Of course this is not a scientific based poll but the very fact that so many readers bothered to answer it gives it some weight as these are respondents which are politically interested and possibly savvy. Whatever the general significance the fact that almost 800 chose a woman who has so far not involved herself directly in active politics is very interesting. Are we moving to times when having women as political leaders is not only acceptable but desirable. Are we tapping the full range of potential political human assets who will uplift our political scene. I am certain that many of the elctorate see parliament as a macho men's club where strutting around as an alpha male in the pack is part of the political game, The other point is that when it comes to the grassroots a Mario Dearco /Chris Said tandem seems to be the most popular as ordinary members see them as hard working and successful in matters which concern them most.
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Of course this is not a scientific based poll but the very fact that so many readers bothered to answer it gives it some weight as these are respondents which are politically interested and possibly savvy. Whatever the general significance the fact that almost 800 chose a woman who has so far not involved herself directly in active politics is very interesting. Are we moving to times when having women as political leaders is not only acceptable but desirable. Are we tapping the full range of potential political human assets who will uplift our political scene. I am certain that many of the elctorate see parliament as a macho men's club where strutting around as an alpha male in the pack is part of the political game, The other point is that when it comes to the grassroots a Mario Dearco /Chris Said tandem seems to be the most popular as ordinary members see them as hard working and successful in matters which concern them most.
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Of course this is not a scientific based poll but the very fact that so many readers bothered to answer it gives it some weight as these are respondents which are politically interested and possibly savvy. Whatever the general significance the fact that almost 800 chose a woman who has so far not involved herself directly in active politics is very interesting. Are we moving to times when having women as political leaders is not only acceptable but desirable. Are we tapping the full range of potential political human assets who will uplift our political scene. I am certain that many of the elctorate see parliament as a macho men's club where strutting around as an alpha male in the pack is part of the political game, The other point is that when it comes to the grassroots a Mario Dearco /Chris Said tandem seems to be the most popular as ordinary members see them as hard working and successful in matters which concern them most.
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It looks like Simon Busuttil is going to disappear from the scene because even the PN supporters is excluding him from the first three top positions. Even Dr Franco Debono placed in front of Simon Busuttil.
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Irid ikun hemm ucuh godda tipo Ann Fenech..hemm hafna li jikkwalifikaw ghal dawn il-pozizzjonijiet...jekk inharsu lejn il-Pl dawn sabu lill Joseph Muscat li ftit kienu dawk li hasbu li ser ibiddel il-PL kif inbidel, specjalment il-vizjoni li kellu dan il-partit li kien jigi pparagunat mad-delinkwenti u nies raffi...z-zmien tana parir u xempju kif il-PN jista' jerga iggenera mill-gheruq....Spicca iz-zmien tal-Fenech Adamijiet...Demarcojiet u l-Portellijiet hemm bzonn ta' nies li ghadom zghar biex sa 10 snin ohra jkunu lesti biex jiehdu dawn il-pozizzjonijiet u jwasslu l-PN ghal glorji tal-passat....jekk jittelaw ucuh qodma il-partit jibqa statiku u ma jsibx it-triq.
Emmanuel Mallia •
The next PN should be an outsider
Emmanuel Mallia •
Its no use naming people. The first, most important priority is for Austin Gatt and Richard Cachia Caruana to publicly declare that they have nothing to do anymore with PN. Martherse Portelli should resign. Other wise, it will be just a cosmetic change. PN should have listened to Franco and change course four years ago ! Now it is difficult for us to believe you !
