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Updated | [WATCH] Simon Busuttil submits nomination for PN leader
PN deputy leader puts rumours of his candidature to rest, submits nomination for party leadership.
3 April 2013, 12:00am
Miriam Dalli
Miriam Dalli
2 min read
PN deputy leader Simon Busuttil.
Nationalist Party deputy leader Simon Busuttil today submitted his nomination for the PN leadership election at 2:30pm.
Tomorrow, Busuttil will host a press conference at 11am to present his political programme for his leadership bid.
His nomination was seconded by PN whip David Agius, Shirely Farrugia, Nationalist MP Ryan Callus, Karol Aquilina, Therese Commodini Cachia, Euchar Mizzi, Christabelle Ebejer, Caroline Galea, Ingrid Brownrigg, and Saviour Sciberras.
"The time has come to make the Nationalist Party, once again, a People's Party, so that together we can win back the people's trust," Busuttil said.
"I have decided to contest the election for leader of the party because I believe that we are capable of taking the challenges that lie before us and turn them into opportunities. And I want to do my part to make this happen.
"On the 9th March the people not only voted Labour into Government but they also voted us into Opposition. This means we need to give them a strong Opposition that is able to scrutinize the work of the Government and offer a viable alternative to lead this country when the people call on us to do so," Busuttil said.
The former MEP said the PN had to rebuild a party that would be "fresh, organised, dynamic, in touch with the people's needs and ready to continually engage with them."
"What may have worked 10 or 20 years ago does not necessarily work today. We need to acknowledge that reality and use it as an opportunity to reform and renew the party from the bottom up."
The statute of the party requires nominations to be signed by a minimum of 10 members of the party, of which 3 must form part of the parliamentary group or the executive of the party.
Busuttil has become the first candidate to submit his nomination. So far, only MP Francis Zammit Dimech and businessman Raymond Bugeja confirmed they will be running for the post of leader as well.
Delivering the nomination for party leadership. twitter.com/SimonBusuttil/… — Simon Busuttil (@SimonBusuttil) April 3, 2013
The nominations for the PN leadership contenders opened on Tuesday April 2, and close on Friday April 5.
The election will be held among the party's 900 councillors during an extraordinary General Council, which will convene on May 4, despite calls from a number of MPs - among them Mario de Marco, Robert Arrigo and Clyde Puli - for the ballot to be opened to all paid party members.
Miriam Dalli joined MaltaToday.com.mt in 2010 becoming assistant editor f...
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Jekk meta daħal bħala deputat kap tal-PN,il-vapur kien diġa qed jgħereq,allura issa li il-vapur jinsab mgħarraq,Simon se jkollu jagħmilha ta' bugħaddas biex jinzel fil-qieħ ħalli jipprova jtellgħu.Izda qabel jibda l-operazzjoni tas-salvataġġ irid jara kif se jsodd madwar 37,000 elf toqba li għandu dan il-vapur u din mhux xi biċċa xoghol faċli. Nawguralu li ma jintaqax ma xi kelb il-baħar,li jisfrattalu kollox,bizejjed għandu dinosawri fuq l-art iduru miegħu.
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Really Jar Jar.....and what about Joseph Muscat's far more serious gaffes, for want of another term, before, during and after the EU referendum.....and before, during and after the introduction of the Euro.....and before, during and after the Libya crisis etc etc? Do they disqualify him to lead the PL next time round? I think not, and rightly so because he learnt from them and moved on. So Simon should certainly find no problem in learning from his experience over the 3 months before the elections and emerge stronger, wiser and more determined than ever.
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Why don't they let every registered voter decide, I'm sure the executive have no idea what the people want, just what they think they want. Another 15 years maybe at this rate !
Emmanuel Mallia •
With him at the helm, together with his low profile aids at the back, it will be the right recipe for another landslide victory for the PL.
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B'Simon leader, hafna huma eskluzi. Se jkun partit biss ta' dawk illi ghandhom wicchom ta' Nazzjonalist. Ejja Simon,jekk inti umli, itlob skuza pubblika; il-bqija m'intix se tkun kredibbli.
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Nawgurawlu li jintghazel halli iktar ikun fis sod il Labour Party li qed imexxi l-ghajta ta Malta tghana ilkoll mhux bhal qal Simon ghal ta wicchom blue biss
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This guy has not one, but several albatrosses around his neck. His gaffes during the last campaign will come back to haunt him time and time again. If selected he will be to the PL what Alfred Sant was to the PN.
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A chip of the old block. Nothing new and he will never remove the klikka that has a stranglehold on the pn. He has been instrumental for the wipe out of March 9 being the brains (that is if any) behind the gonzipn electoral manifesto. Other than that he always eluded the truth and reality by quoting puerile reasons, such as I am not informed, I was not in touch , I dont have the information and others. It is very clear that the pn is heading gas down into a concrete wall, because Busullotti has simply been overinflated and is in my opinion very mediocre.
Igor P. Shuvalov •
Are we going to be regaled with the beaming face of Dr Paul Borg Olivier each time somebody applies for a leadership post with the Nationalist Party, or is this just being limited to Dr Simon Busuttil's nomination as an indirect indication to the PN Councillors to Busuttil is the favourite?
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So Elena's view is that 10 years as the most popular and trusted voice of civil society should be cancelled out because of 3 electoral months during which Simon was clearly singing from someone else's hymn sheet. Or better still, her view is that five years of the outgoing government/cabinet is not what led to the electoral defeat....Simon's role as deputy leader in the last 3 months is what did it. Very credible point of view, no doubt. But let me be positive....Simon is the only one without ministerial, parliamentary or dynastic baggage....he is the one who convinced civil society to rally for EU membership in 2003...he is the one who garnered incredible amounts of votes in all MEP elections he contested....he is the one that civil society always feels comfortable with....he is in my mind best suited to transform the party to what it should be, a vibrant, modern and inclusive European People's Party.
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ejjja..... kien jaf li hemm elezzjoni ghal Kap !! sakemm ma qallux xi hadt LOL
jfakkarni fid diska... mhux jien mhux jien ghax qatt ma jkollu tort jew jaf b xi haga hazina. Insomma jekk kien il mimmi ta Gonzipn..... il klikka ha tiehu cans iehor bih
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Kemm se tahdem l' i-pad meta jkun il parlament. Waqt id dibattiti qabel l'elezzjoni ma kien jghid xejn jekk ma jharis lejn i-pad. Insomma tkun veru barka ghal PL jekk jghazzluh.
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I assocciate Dr Busuttil with the past, even if he came into the show at the 11th hour. My admiration went along with him all the way when an MEP, but it just stoped short there. His negative attitute in his arguments,during the election campgain were a clear contributory element to the party sinking ocean bottom. If he failed as a dep leader, how can anyone prosper at helm! Lets change, lets ALL change.
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Simon may have made some errors in the 3 month electoral campaign. Who wouldn't when thrown into a lion's den of soundbites and negativity after 9 years of calm debate in the European Parliament. But that is a far cry from the errors made over the past 5 years, if not more, by the outgoing government/PN! Simon was not involved in that, and ultimately the electorate voted on that, not on the last 3 months. Simon is intelligent enough to have learnt from the experience, and that knowledge, coupled with his innate ability to involve civil society and surround himself with genuine people, will serve him, the Party and eventually the country well. It also helps that he has no governmenatl or dynastic baggage.
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U min jaf tal-PL x'jorku idejhom. B'Simon bhala kap, il-PN ikompli jiddghajjef u jaqa' lura.
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..... imma jekk dan dejjem jghid li ma jafx x'gara l-bierah ..... jekk jghid li ma kellux hin jaqra l-accounts tal-partit ghax kien imhabbat .... jekk dejjem jghid li hu ma ghandu x'jaqsam xejn mal-imghoddi ....... issa per ezempju meta jasal il-jum tal-indipendenza, x'fi hsiebu jaghmel? ... tghid se jghidilna li hu ma kienx hemm u allura ma jafx li malta kienet kisbet l-indipendenza? meta jfakkruh li dhalna fiz-zona tal-ewro, se jghidilna li hu ma kienx hemm dak in-nhar? ..... afli ga beda jhawwadna buzu ta' mannarinu tafux ..... jidher li ghandu mill-papri dan il-proxxmu --- jidher car li jhobb icafcaf sew .....
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I was somewhat shocked about Mr.Busuttil's arguments that I found them to be very negative during the election campaign. Instead of using his time on air to talk about substance he wasted it to demonise his opponents.
I believe in Mr.Busuttil's capabilities, but I am sorry to say he was part of the PN's failure.
I find it ridiculous that on one instance he says he is relinquishing his post as deputy and now is submitting himself for leader.
Maureen Attard •
Dritt ghal gol-hajt.
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Dam jahsiba, nahseb ghax ma kellux karti qudimu.
