Gonzi, Dalli seen running neck-and-neck

Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi and Finance Minister John Dalli are believed to be neck-and-neck in the support they have at grassroots level.

Sources close to the Nationalist Party said that as the prime minister has hinted he will be stepping down as party leader on Saturday, the main contenders were gearing up their activities with the grassroots in a bid to rally the support of the councillors.

It is believed that Tourism Minister Francis Zammit Dimech will also try his luck by entering the leadership race. It is not yet known whether Education Minister Louis Galea, who also enjoys good grassroots support, will be making a bid for the leadership.

Government Investment Minister Austin Gatt, who in the past was seen as a possible contender, is not expected to contest.

The sources said they believed the first round of elections would be held by the end of the month. In order to be elected, a contender has to get two-thirds of the vote, which makes it difficult for the issue to be decided in the first round.

The leader of the party is elected by the councillors of the party at a general council meeting convened specifically for that purpose.

The executive committee of the party will receive nominations within two months of the post being vacated. A contender needs to be nominated by 10 regular party members, three of whom have to be members of the executive committee and/or the parliamentary group.

Each nomination will have to be accompanied by a signed declaration from the contender, accepting the nomination. The nominations have to be submitted not later than 10 days before the meeting.

If none of the contenders manages to get two-thirds of the votes in the first round, the candidate with the least votes will be eliminated. The same procedure will be applied until one of the candidates gets two thirds of the votes. If neither of the last two remaining candidates manages to get two-thirds of the vote, the contender who attains the absolute majority of the present councillors will be elected leader.