First round today

Over 850 Nationalist Party councillors today face the difficult task of choosing not only the next party leader but also the next prime minister.

The voting starts at 3 p.m. and is expected to last for six hours. Sources close to the party said the result is expected at about 11p.m.

The contest could drag on for another month unless there is a clear-cut winner.

The councillors will have to choose between Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi, Economic Affairs and Finance Minister John Dalli and Education Minister Louis Galea.

To win, a candidate has to obtain two-thirds of the general council votes, that is, about 574 votes.

If none of the candidates reaches the threshold, the contestant with the smallest number of votes will be eliminated and another election will be held between the other two on Wednesday. Should neither of the two acquire two-thirds of the vote in the second election, a call for fresh nominations will be made and anyone would be eligible to run. In that case nominations will remain open until March 9 and another election will be held on March 19.

Wednesday's election will still be held even if the other remaining contestant decides to back down, as the one polling the highest number of votes in the first election will still require to secure two-thirds of the total votes.