Lawrence Gonzi

Lawrence Gonzi
Prime Minister of Malta
Incumbent
Assumed office  23 March 2004
President	Guido de Marco Eddie Fenech Adami George Abela
Deputy	Tonio Borg
Preceded by	Eddie Fenech Adami
Born	1 July 1953 (1953-07-01) (age 56) Pietà, Malta
Political party	Nationalist Party European People's Party
Spouse(s)	Catherine née Callus
Children	David Mikela Paul
Religion	Roman Catholic
Signature

Lawrence Gonzi (born 1 July 1953) is the incumbent Prime Minister of Malta and leader of the Nationalist Party (Maltese: Partit Nazzjonalista).^[1]

Political life

Speaker and Member of Parliament

In 1987 Lawrence Gonzi contested the general elections unsuccessfully with the Nationalist Party. He was appointed Speaker of the House in 1988 and, in 1992, he was reappointed to the post with a unanimous vote. Gonzi contested the general elections again in 1996 and this time he was successful. As an opposition MP he served as Shadow Minister for social policy, secretary of the Nationalist parliamentary group, party whip and later general secretary of the party.

In 1998 he was returned and appointed Minister for Social Policy. In May 1999 he successfully contested the post of Deputy Leader of the party and was appointed Deputy Prime Minister and Leader of the House. Following another Nationalist victory at the polls in 2003, Lawrence Gonzi was reconfirmed as Deputy Prime Minister and Leader of the House.

Prime Minister

Following the resignation of Eddie Fenech Adami as party leader, Gonzi won the leadership contest held in March 2004. He was appointed Prime Minister shortly after Adami stepped down to give way for his succession. From 2004 onwards, Gonzi took under his responsibility the finance portfolio as Minister of Finance. As Minister of Finance, he successfully managed the process to achieve the Maastricht criteria, propelling Malta into the Eurozone.

Following the general election held on 8 March 2008, Gonzi was reconfirmed as Prime Minister. He relinquished his post as Minister of Finance but assumed responsibility for the Malta Environment and Planning Authority (MEPA), in particular its reform. He was reelected Nationalist Party leader at the general council meeting on 4 May 2008.

Family

Lawrence Gonzi is the son of Luigi Gonzi and Ines Galea and grandnephew of Monsignor Sir Michael Gonzi, the former Archbishop of Malta. His younger brother is Michael Gonzi, a Nationalist backbencher.

Gonzi is married to Catherine née Callus, and they have three children: David, Mikela and Paul.

References

1. ^ "Office of the Prime Minister". http://www.gov.mt/frame.asp?l=2&url=http://www.opm.gov.mt/. Retrieved 2009-11-04. 

See also

• Politics of Malta

v • d • e Prime Ministers of Malta Joseph Howard • Francesco Buhagiar • Ugo Pasquale Mifsud • Gerald Strickland • Ugo Pasquale Mifsud • office abolished, 1933-1947 • Paul Boffa • Enrico Mizzi • Giorgio Borg Olivier • Dom Mintoff • office abolished, 1958-1962 • Giorgio Borg Olivier • Dom Mintoff • Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici • Eddie Fenech Adami • Alfred Sant • Eddie Fenech Adami • Lawrence Gonzi

v • d • e Chairpersons-in-Office of the Commonwealth of Nations Thabo Mbeki · John Howard · Olusegun Obasanjo · Lawrence Gonzi · Yoweri Museveni · Patrick Manning

v • d • e Gonzi Cabinet 2008-2013 Jason Azzopardi · Tonio Borg · Joe Cassar · Dolores Cristina · John Dalli · Mario de Marco · Giovanna Debono · Tonio Fenech · Mario Galea · Austin Gatt · Lawrence Gonzi · Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici · Clyde Puli · George Pullicino · Chris Said