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[WATCH] Simon Busuttil trounces Tonio Fenech, elected new PN deputy leader
MEP Simon Busuttil wins Nationalist Party deputy leadership race after trouncing challenger finance minister Tonio Fenech.
30 November 2012, 12:00am
Jurgen Balzan
Jurgen Balzan
4 min read
Simon Busuttil addressing the PN councillors on his election as PN Deputy Leader (Photo: MediaToday/Ray Attard)
Simon Busuttil has been declared winner in the PN deputy leadership race after obtaining a total of 640 votes or 72.4% of the vote. This is above the two-thirds treshold and there will be no need for a second round. Finance minister Tonio Fenech, who enjoyed the support of all the government front bench bar that of the health minister Joe Cassar, obtained 241 votes out of the 881 valid votes.
The two challengers entered the hall where the PN councillors are gathered, together with Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi and were received by great applause.
Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said that the PN has confirmed that it is the party of change and renewal. "This election has confirmed that the Nationalist Party is the only agent of change."
"I must tell you all, all the people how proud I am of have witnessed two valuable persons offering their services," Gonzi said of the two contestants.
A beaming Busuttil said: "Today there are no winners and losers. Today the Nationalist Party emerged as the only winner. We have rekindled enthusiasm in the party."
Thanking Tonio Fenech for his competition, Busuttil said the party will not forget his efforts.
"I accept with humility the confidence you have shown in me. I vow to return this confidence you have shown in me to last drop," the MEP said.
Busuttil also thanked his family, the councillors, his campaign team and his predecessors . He also had special praise for Louis Galea and Eddie Fenech Adami.
"I will work, hand in hand with Lawrence Gonzi to win the next election. i will work beside him loyally. We will win again by winning over the confidence of the people who no longer identify themselves with our party," Busuttil said.
He added that "this is the party of everyone. This is a popular but not populist party."
Busuttil said that as from tomorrow he will roll up his sleeves and work hard for the party. "I will speak to the Prime Minister to see how I can be best utilised to help the party win the election."
He said that in the next few weeks the party must recapture the imagination of the people and convince the electorate that the PN deserves to remain in government.
"We are a part full of energy, ideas and determination. We must convince the people that we are the change they want... So let's start believing again and let's regain the enthusiasm and conviction that we can win again."
Runner-up Tonio Fenech told the crowd that he was thankful for the last four weeks because he understood how much the councillors loved the party.
It was not a question of friendship but it was a question of choosing the deputy leader who will lead the party in the next general election.
"You have chosen my friend Simon, and I promise that I will keep giving my all to the party," Fenech said.
He added "The best thing about this contest was that we kept it a friendly contest which united the party. Together with our Prime Minister we will keep working to approach the election and win it. This is a party which is younger then the Labour Party."
In his concluding remarks he said that he had close friends working for the opposing camp but reassured them they will remain his friends. "Above all I am proud to be a Nationalist."
A total of 884 PN councillors voted for either finance minister Tonio Fenech or MEP Simon Busuttil to fill the post vacated by Tonio Borg. Voting took place on Friday between 10am and 9pm.
A total of 884 out of 888 cast their vote and the electoral commissioner chairman and newly appointed foreign affairs minister Francis Zammit Dimech said that Fenech or Busuttil needed 590 votes to obtain the two-thirds quota and avoid going into a second round on Saturday.
As the sorting of votes ended, the electoral commission chairman Francis Zammit Dimech announced that three votes have been invalidated while three others have been declared dubious.
99.7% of the 885 councillors who were eligible to cast their vote turned up today. 913 councillors were entitled to vote however only 885 councillors collected their voting document. MP Jesmond Mugliett is among the 25 councillors who did not collect their vote.
READ - Q&A with the deputy leader hopefuls Simon Busuttil and Tonio Fenech
Jurgen Balzan was a MaltaToday reported from 2011 to 2017.
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@Briffy , First of all I wanted to write France and not Frances , secondly that name reminds me of the series , Frances the talking Horse . And if I'm not mistaken , when a government resign it is called a caretaker Government ( Gvern Bidillu ) so your dear Minister will be a caretaker Minister ( Ministru Bidillu ). As for his capability as a minister , the electorate made it very clear in the last general election .
David Bongailas •
@briffy..............been reading and believing everything DCG writes on her blog again have we ???
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HalfEUCitizen...I don't know who are but one thing is certain, the GBIN says it all. It reeks of Mintoff who used to address us as gbin during meetings held in his office when he was PM, but only when his henchmen were around. When the meetings were attended only by civil servants, he never used this term. Take the hint?
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Dawn li qed jifirhu ghax hasbu li ghamlu xi gwadann li l-kunsilliera ghazlu lil Simple Simon dalwaqt jindunaw li ghamlu ghazla zbaljata.
Bid-difetti kollha li ghandu Tonio Fenech, hu fern aktar ta' stoffa minn Simple Simon.
Ma Simon ma tafx fejn int. Ibda meta kien fil-MIC u spicca bil-programm elettorali ta' l-ahhar elezzjoni.
Jekk hu se jiehu l-krettu ghax kiteb l-ahhar programm elettorali, irid iwiegeb lil kacaturi, tad-dockyard, airmalta, seamalta ecc. Issa ma jistax ifarfar hu wedhomna dawn u dahaq b'kulhadd.
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Briffy - whatever you are smoking, pass it around gbin! Maybe through the haze of the smoke - we start to 'discern' things as clearly as you do!
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First Busuttil was the heir apparent, then all of a sudden there was a 'contest' with some one who was almost as unpopular as Gonzi himself and therefore a guaranteed defeat for PN. Then Busuttil against expectations - he won!
Isma - b'minn qedd titnejku. These 'busullotti' are not fooling anyone.
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@ Tony Vella... For one thing, Francis not Frances; for another Zammit Dimech has been living in Sliema since he was a little boy; thirdly, though Parliament is dissolved Ministers remain in their place till the elections, either March or May depending on whether Franco will bring down the goverment. BDW, Francis is an honest and able MP, a real gentleman if ever there was one and also has charisma. He is a very good speaker in Maltese, English and Italian and will make us proud as a foreignminister. He is aso a very cultured man and deserves to be our foreign minister. This is sour grapes for you and the majority of Labourites who would love to have people like Francis in their fold; but Francis can never fit in Labour ranks.
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Tonio Borg sar Kummissarju , B'hekk inbidel ix-xenarju , Sar meħtieġ ministru ġdid , Għamlu l-Frances ta' Raħal Ġdid , Dal-Ministru transitorju , jixbaħ lill-sopposirorju , Għaliex sar għall ftit taz-zmien , bejn ħmistax u għaxar t'ijiem , għax jekk il-budget ma jagħaddix , Frances jitlaq mad-dgerfix .
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A nice hardworking chap like Tonio Fenech who has had some success with managing the economy but part of the unliked PN inner circle has on paper been trounced by an intelligent cunning and slippery fellow who knows how to write reports and is a craftsmen at impressing with nice friendly sounding words. SB belongs to that breed of ambitious politicians who in a disguised way show a face of friendly self-effacement while secretly maneuvering up the power ladder. From a supposedly neutral role as MIC director he morphed into securing a place as MEP and has now found the right moment to bid for the PN deputy leadership with a view of becoming the next PM. No doubt he will appeal to the young PN voter where his baby face and cultivated image makes him appear as one of their age group. He will also try to adopt the successful tactics of Joe Muscat to bring the dissidents back into the fold and project the image of "a new progressive PN party" although no doubt he will coin a new moniker for it. However this is the first time he is facing a risk all situation in his career. If the PL trounces the PN in the next generalelection he will come crashing down together with LG his mentor and leave an open field for Mario Demarco or Chris Said.
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A nice hardworking chap like Tonio Fenech who has had some success with managing the economy but part of the unliked PN inner circle has on paper been trounced by an intelligent cunning and slippery fellow who knows how to write reports and is a craftsmen at impressing with nice friendly sounding words. SB belongs to that breed of ambitious politicians who in a disguised way show a face of friendly self-effacement while secretly maneuvering up the power ladder. From a supposedly neutral role as MIC director he morphed into securing a place as MEP and has now found the right moment to bid for the PN deputy leadership with a view of becoming the next PM. No doubt he will appeal to the young PN voter where his baby face and cultivated image makes him appear as one of their age group. He will also try to adopt the successful tactics of Joe Muscat to bring the dissidents back into the fold and project the image of "a new progressive PN party" although no doubt he will coin a new moniker for it. However this is the first time he is facing a risk all situation in his career. If the PL trounces the PN in the next generalelection he will come crashing down together with LG his mentor and leave an open field for Mario Demarco or Chris Said.
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mela ghadek tezizti briffy. povru XMUN
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Joe Saliba
Note the message in this result.The Councillors have spoken.
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IS SOCJALISTI MAHRUQIN BIL KBIR HBIEB: aqraw il kitba ta dan il pampalun
Eddy Privitera
Sat 01-Dec-2012, 07:03
Mela issa GonziPN ghandhom Vici-Kap li mhux ibbakkjat mill-ministri. U ministri li m'humiex ibbakkjati mill-Kunsilliera, ghax ma tawx kas ta' x'qalulhom biex jivvutaw ghal Tonio Fenech ! U ministru tal-Finanzi sfuiducjat BIL-KBIR mill-istess Kunsilliera !!!! EDDY l-aqwa li lejber ser izomm il qafas tal budget !!! LOL
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It's useless for some to keep throwing mud on this administration; corruption, klikek and other parotted cliches. Corruption is innate in man, there was always corruption, there is and there will always be. The important thing is the scale and whether it is institutionalised. The level of corruption today is nothing compared to that during the Mintoff/KMB regime when nobody had any rights except the party faithful; the rest had perforce to resort to corruption to try and obtain what they were entitled in a democratic system which wasn't there during the golden years of socialist bliss. There will always be corrupt individuals. But in a democratic set-up like we've been having since 1987 the corrupt people face the music; this was not the case during Labour times, when the police arrested the victim to protect him/her from their aggressors. The PN has always tried to keep corruption in check,unlike Labour which adopted a system that could only encourage corrupt practices; but there will always be corrupt people. The PN has a much cleaner record, no doubt about it. The PN will be further strenghtened and could with some effort win the coming elections.
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L-ewwel haga li jrid jaghmel Simon hi li jnaddaf il-partit mill-hmieg u s-sangusugi li hemm go fih. L-istess nies li qed juzaw l-politika u l-pozizjoni taghhom u lil dawk ta madwarhom biex javanzaw b'mod korrot. Din s-sistem zvinat lil pajjiz u hemm komplici nies miz-zewg partiti. Il-vili hi li kollox jibqa ghaddej u z-zghir ikompli jlaqqat go rasu. Go dan il-pajjiz ma ghadniex nittkarbu ghal xi tv tal-kulur jew linja tat-telefon izda qed nitkarbu ghal-pjaciri lil huma drittijiet.
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I am convinced that SB definitely has some positive qualities to offer and act as a catalyst of change in the PN.
This result also shows a clear lack of confidence in LG who was promoting and pushing TF. It seems TF's 'fantastic' budget has done him no good. Perhaps after all it is just a vote catching pre election budget and was not favoured within the PN itself.
The writing is on the wall and is clearly showing the internal conflicts within the PN. Whatever happens whether the budget passes or not is irrelevant. Difficult times are coming next year with the ever increasing debt. Still promotions by the power of incumbency are being given on a massive scale in every government org. within every sphere ranging from education,tertiary education, civil service, police force, etc to persons who do not really deserve them. This is definitely happening because the PN do not expect to survive another election.
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This was the biggest kick in the teeth ever delivered to a ruling clique! Why? Because it was delivered to their anointed, acknowledged representative, Tonio Fenech, by their niche, solid-blue-till-purple-in-the-face insider circle. That’s why!
No clearer signal has been given by SECRET BALLOT (so no excuses and conspiracy theories, PLEASE!!) for GONZIPN to go off to oblivion. Of course, together with all their arrogant hangers on and acolytes, the likes of which make Lorry Sant’s antics child’s play.
Moreover, if they got this from their own, then expect a far bigger send off from the general public. No more polls are needed, except perhaps to gauge the enormity of the loss. No wonder GonziPN were putting off the election date to as far away as possible. They must have been privy to some very secret polls from within.
One would opine, that in reality, this putting off of the election date was concocted to steal enough time to perhaps destroy as much proof as possible of documentation and communication records as possible to hide their tracks, knowing that the very first law the people will clamour for would the the Whistleblowers Act!! A theory of course, but this action was hidden under the guise of vote buying via the dishing of favours, permits, promotions and contracts.
This election has kicked off the journey towards the rejuvenation of the PN. It will be followed by a massive slide towards the PL in the coming election. Absolutely, do not blame Simon for this; just turn towards the evil clique and sneer. His real work, and that of others, will start immediately after the election. I am sure that within 3 months in opposition, a new PN leadership team will be voted in to start the long, winding road towards recreating the honest, structural strength the PN needs to regenerate itself into the strong, balanced, modernly liberal party that is best required for democracy to flourish in these islands.
Roll on the national elections! Thank you Councillors!
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Dear Simon,
I am an ex PN and I congratulate just the same. The problem is not you but Gonzi!! Therefore, I shall not vote for the PN for sure. PL? Who knows but not for Gonzi, tha main problem in the PN.
Priscilla Darmenia •
@niko001 - I believe that Franco will find some last minute excuse and vote in favour of the budget. He knows that if he vots against, he would bring the government down and I am sure he does not want to be the one to bring the GonziPN government down. In my opinion he does not have enough guts to do it. He had a couple of chances in the past and shyed away.
Priscilla Darmenia •
I am sorry for Tonio Fenech. I think that he was a pawn in Dr. Gonzi’s political chess game. Dr. Gonzi pushed him to candidate himself for the deputy leader election just not to have a repetition of a one man race like his own election to PN leader some months ago. The writing was on the wall that Simon Busuttil would be the winner and I guess that even Dr Gonzi voted for Simon.
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This event has given PN a shot in the arm, no doubt about that. Labour is very upset and worried, one can't blame them. They were hoping for a win by Tonio Fenech but, alas it didn't happen. Labour are reading the writing on the wall; the chances that elections will go the PN's way are not so slim. Labour peaked early and their support is now on the wane. They should realise that the electorate is not all made up of gullible people; that there are discerning voters who determine which way elections go. Labour's total acceptance of the measures proposed in the budget hasn't helped them at all. Besides the fact that the old guard are running the show is tarnishing Labour's image and will be a millstone round their neck. Wouldn't be surprised if the tide turns in PN's favour. It happened before and could happen again.
Priscilla Darmenia •
I am sorry for Tonio Fenech. I think that he was a pawn in Dr. Gonzi’s political chess game. Dr. Gonzi pushed him to candidate himself for the deputy leader election just not to have a repetition of a one man race like his own election to PN leader some months ago. The writing was on the wall that Simon Busuttil would be the winner and I guess that even Dr Gonzi voted for Simon.
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Simon Busuttil wrote the GonziPN 2008 electoral manifesto: he is the architect of the stress and mess we are currently enduring! 'Change'? Simon Busuttil's 'change' has been with us since 2008; 'voluntary' burden sharing, and ACTA and broken promises. Birds of the sane feather flock together!
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Simon, issa kif bi shiebek tirrangia dak il-hazin li sar dan l-ahhar 25 sena. Int ghidt li sejjer tkun il- bridge. Jaqaw bhal dak tal-Belt "leading into the depths of the sea?" Kif sejjer trohhos id-dawl u l-ilma, il-gas, il fuel,l-gholi tal-hajja,kif sejjer taghmel biex dawk li ghandhom xoghol prekarju ikollhom xoghol sura, f'kelma wahda kif trid il-poplu jemmnek, int iehor taghmel il U Turns ghaliexint ghidt li ma tridx tkun fil-politika Maltija. Jawaq it-taxxa tas-sinjuri rahset ghaliex gej hawn int , are jien mal foqra ghaliex inhallas biss u lanqas ghandi dritt biex niehu iz-zewgt terzi tal-penzjoni, u dawk li ghandhom bizzejjed biex jikkwaliffikaw ghal penzjoni u iridu ikomplu jahdmu ma jistaw jekk jitilqu sena kmieni avolja ghandhom aktar min 43 sena bolli. Hallina tridx. Lil Tonio Fenech baqa l-art, tghid in-nies ftakru meta ghajjarhom CWIEC?
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U wara din il-farsa gejja ohra....il-budget jghaddi ghax issa t-ton ta debono inbidel fuq il-blog tieghu.,,viva malta
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nahseb l-ewwel lezzjoni li Gonzi jghati lil Simon hu kif ghandu jigdeb !
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"This election has confirmed that the Nationalist Party is the only agent of change."----
Oh, that's a good one. GonziPN has had 25 years to "make changes" and besides the massive debt, what other changes do they have to show.
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Zdied iehor mal klikka. L'ucuh il qodma ghadhom kollha hemm allura x'bidla saret?
Luke Camilleri •
La Tonio Fenech kellu l'appogg tal-Ministri Nazzjonalisti, dan il-vot jissarraf FI SFIDUCA lil dawn il-Ministri mit-talent limitat ta' GonziPN!
Kullhadd jasal ghal konkluzjoni wahdu..... u facli!
Hemm fiducja fil Ministru Tonio Fenech?
Lanqas mill kulsillieri nazzjonalisti ma hemm fiducja fil Ministri ta' Gonzi, jghidu x'jghid!
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JIRBAH TONI FENECH JITLEF IL PAJJIZ
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Yawn- more of the same.
