News • January 25 2004

Two new names for European elections
Joe Debono Grech, the gruff former Labour minister from B’Kara may consider forwarding his name as a candidate in the European parliamentary elections, MaltaToday has learnt. Mr Debono Grech would not confirm the news, but he did say that he would wait for the outcome of the general conference.
In today’s MaltaToday interview another individual synonymous with the IVA movement, Dr Joanna Drake has signalled that she would consider standing on a PN ticket for the European parliamentary elections.

Ellul Bonici confirms EP bid, former hopefuls undecided
Matthew Vella
Sharon Ellul Bonici is still eyeing the European Parliament following her electoral debacle during the Malta Labour Party general conference, which saw four candidates elected to Labour MEP hopefuls, and Ellul Bonici’s bid to a warm a Brussels seat thwarted.
Tenaciously eurosceptic but convinced of potential her role as the only woman Labour MEP, Ellul Bonici was a former activist in the Campaign for National Independence and later the NO2EU campaign which she fronted.
Despite the distinct possibility that the motion proposed by Kalkara Mayor Michael Cohen and Josephine Camilleri to increase the number of Labour candidates will be accepted, only Ellul Bonici has confirmed her intention to stand.
Former MLP President Manuel Cuschieri, no longer Labour kingpin after the unceremonious failure to be re-elected president following the 2003 electoral loss, told MaltaToday he had not yet taken any decision.
Former hopefuls Gino Cauchi, Anton Degiovanni and former MLP secretary-general Jimmy Magro told MaltaToday they were undecided as to what they might do if the MLP general conference gives the extended list the go-ahead.
Fgura Mayor Anton Degiovanni said he would be loyal to the general conference, and had yet to see whether new candidates would be welcomed: "I leave the decision in the hands of the general conference. I will then decide."
Gino Cauchi, head of One News is also as yet undecided. "It could be a yes, it could be a no," he told MaltaToday.
Another party mogul fallen from grace, Jimmy Magro, recently spotted in preparations for an EU administrative job following failure to push his European Parliament nomination through, said he was also undecided and that we would only decide "when the time comes."
Labour MP Joe Debono Grech told MaltaToday he was undecided whether he would be contesting for an MEP candidature after being asked to confirm whether he had expressed interest in running for the European Parliament.
Speaking to this newspaper, Debono Grech said he would be waiting for the outcome of the general conference which would decide whether new MEP candidates would be welcomed. Asked whether he was interest in submitting a nomination to run for the European Parliament, the Labour MP said he would be taking a decision only upon the outcome of the MLP general conference.

matthew@newsworksltd.com