On Wednesday evening the President of Malta Dr Edward Fenech
Adami appointed the Cabinet of Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries of the
second government led by Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi. The new Cabinet, made
of just eight ministers, has four ministers less than the previous one under
the same Prime Minister.
On the same day Dr Gonzi met several of the newly-elected
Nationalist members of Parliament in Castille to discuss with them their
appointment in the new cabinet. He seems to have kept his promise of a smaller
and younger team.
The Cabinet has 14 members, with six new faces, one of them,
Chris Said, without any Parliamentary experience. This is the full list and
their portfolio:
Ministers:
Tonio Borg – Foreign Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister
Tonio Fenech – Finances, Economy and Investments
Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici – Justice and Home Affairs
John Dalli – Social Policy
Dolores Cristina – Education and Culture
Austin Gatt – Communications and National Projects
George Pullicino –Resources and Rural Affairs (Excluding the
Malta
Environmental and Planning Authority
Giovanna Debono – Gozo
Parliamentary Secretaries:
Chris Said – Public Consultation and Information (in the
Prime Minister’s Office)
Mario De Marco – Tourism (in the Prime Minister’s Office)
Mario Galea – The Elderly (in Ministry for Social Policy)
Joe Cassar – Health (in Ministry for Social Policy)
Jason Azzopardi – Revenues and Land (in Ministry for
Finances, Economy and Investments)
Clyde Puli - Youth and
Sport (in Ministry of Education and Culture)
From the previous Cabinet, three ministers (Louis Galea,
Michael Frendo and Censu Galea) and two Parliamentary Secretaries (Helen
D’Amato and Tony Abela) have not been elected, though Michael Frendo can still
hope in a bye-election. A former minister, Francis Zammit Dimech, and two
Parliamentary Secretary, Frans Agius and Edwin Vassallo), barely made it as
they were elected after the Nationalist Party was awarded four extra seats to
have a majority in the House of Representatives after the Malta Labour Party
won the majority of seats, 34 against the PN’s 31. Zammit Dimech, Agius and
Vassallo were left out of the new Cabinet.
Three other former ministers, Jesmond Mugliett, Louis Deguara and Ninu Zammit, were also left out
although they were elected comfortably.
Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando, elected on two districts, is also
out on Dr Gonzi’s personal decision as he is under investigated on the Mistra
case revealed by the Opposition Labour Party during the electoral campaign.
