Arnold Cassola submits nomination for leader of Alternattiva Demokratika

Arnold Cassola, Alternattiva Demokratika's spokesperson for international affairs will contest the post of chairperson, the party's secretary-general confirmed with MaltaToday.

Cassola, formerly an AD chairperson who resigned after one year in the wake of the party's 2009 results in the European elections, will be contesting the post after first declaring back in March that he would be retiring from politics.

"Prof. Cassola has the experience necessary to lead the party, and he guarantees continuity over the current leadership vacuum," secretary-general Ralph Cassar said.

Cassola's nomination is at present the only one received, after AD had to suspend its annual general meeting when no nominations were received. AD chairperson Michael Briguglio announced his resignation shortly after taking the Greens to their highest ever electoral result of 1.8% in the last general elections.

Cassar will be contesting the post of secretary-general, while Carmel Cacopardo will be running for deputy chairperson. Long-standing AD member Mario Mallia will be running for the executive committee.

Cassola was formerly the secretary-general for the European Green Party, a member of the Italian Chamber of Deputies for the Italian greens and the centre-left coalition L'Unione, after being elected from an overseas list of Italian nationals, as well as a candidate in two European Parliament elections.

His best result in Maltese politics was in the 2004 election for the European Parliament when he obtained 9.33% (or 23,000 votes) of the first preference votes, just failing to be elected one of Malta's five MEPs.

He unsuccessfully contested national elections with AD in 1992, 1998, 1998, 2003 and 2008. Between 1994 and 1997 he served as local councillor in Swieqi.

In July 2008 Cassola was elected chairperson AD after the resignation of Harry Vassallo. In the second elections held in Malta for the European Parliament in 2009, Cassola stood as candidate together with Yvonne Ebejer Arqueros, but polled only 2.34% of the vote, leading Cassola to resign.