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Update 2 | Cabinet to be announced at 6pm today
MaltaToday reveals first names for Prime Minister Joseph Muscat's first Cabinet of Ministers.
13 March 2013, 12:00am
Staff Reporter
Staff Reporter
2 min read
Veteran MP Karmenu Vella (left) and MEP Edward Scicluna will hold ministerial positions in Labour's Cabinet.
Prime Minister Joseph Muscat will anounce his Cabinet of Ministers today at 6pm, at a swearing-in at the President's Palace by President George Abela.
Musat was consulting newly-elected parliamentarians yesterday in the bare shell of the Prime Minister's office at the Auberge de Castille on his new Cabinet, as insiders talked of offices which had had all their files, and even bare essentials, totally removed.
MaltaToday can reveal the first names for Muscat's Cabinet, which will include individuals who have had experience as ministers, as well as being part of the European Parliament.
MEP Louis Grech will be appointed deputy Prime Minister and minister responsible for EU affairs; former foreign minister George Vella returns to the post he last occupied in 1998; MEP and economist Edward Scicluna will be finance minister, while Karmenu Vella will return to take over the tourism portfolio (which he ran in 1996) and Evarist Bartolo will also return to his 1996 post as Education Minister, as well as retaining employment.
Scicluna will be accompanying Muscat to the European council meeting in Bruseels which commences tomorrow, where EU finance ministers will be also meeting.
Newly-elected MP Godfrey Farrugia, formerly Zebbug mayor, is to become health minister. Konrad Mizzi is expected to be minister for water and electricity.
Newcomer Manuel Mallia is set to be named Minister for Home Affairs and Security, while Owen Bonnici will be Parliamentary Secretary for Justice. The Times instead says Mallia will be justice minister, and that Chris Cardona will be minister for economic affairs and investment minister.
Another Labour MP elected for the fist time, Edward Zammit-Lewis will be named parliamentary secretary for competition and economic growth.
Muscat, who oversees a parliamentary majority of nine seats, was still awaiting a Constitutional Court of Appeal judgement on a PN writ asking for a recount on the eight and 13th districts until midday.
He has to choose between Anton Refalo and Justyne Caruana for the Gozo portfolio, since newly-elected MP and opthalmologist Franco Mercieca has indicated that he is not in a position to take up a ministerial post. Mercieca may be touted for the elderly and disabled persons' portfolio.
Labour MP Helena Dalli is earmarked for minister for social dialogue, equality, and consumer affairs. Michael Farrugia could be earmarked for a junior minister's role.
Muscat is spoilt for choice when it comes to certain posts, but it remains to be seen which of the newcomers will take ministerial or parliamentary secretarial portfolios. Two favourites for junior ministries have failed to get elected, and they include former pro-divorce campaigner Deborah Schembri, former parliamentarian Gino Cauchi and former MP Gavin Gulia. Schembri and Cauchi might still be elected to parliamen on bye-elections.
Another name who will not make it to the Cabinet is notary Charles Mangion.
The Prime Minister will have to be in Brussels on Thursday for the EU summit, his first foreign and EU engagement as Prime Minister.
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At people commenting re dr farrugia, being a village mayor is not administrative experience and the times when dr Moran was minster were very different. The bare fact s that doctors make bad administrators and in fact most f he issues in health stem from the fact that it s run by career doctors who have been giving admin roles that they suck in. Also remember that health in Malta is run by consultants, the same ones dr farrugia used to refr patients too. Now he is going to e their boss. You need a technocrat minster with by all means one or two parl sec who are doctors or health professionals at that as there is Los a dentist and nurse elected. Anyway time will tell if this was the right decision. Hopefully I am wrong
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I agree that Dr. Godfrey Farrugia can potentially do a good job as Health minister. Personally I would not be comfortable appointing a candidate who could have a conflict of interest with other collegues in hospital.
I think that Dr. Farrugia may be the potentially best candidate out of other candidates that have been elected on the PL side.
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X'jigifieri 'bare essential'? Mela ta Gonzi serqu kollox? Mela il-lap tops, mobiles, u gizmo ohra haduhom id-dar? Dawk l-ghodda tat-taxpayers mhux taghhom u ghalhekk ghandhom jigu irritornati lura : anke bil-pulizija jekk hemm bzonn!
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A great thank you to all the journalists at Malta Today who have given us a very good reportage of the general elections 2013. Keep it up!
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Dr Moran was a village doctor, he was very good.
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There is no problem with Godfrey Farrugia as administrator, after all he was a successful Mayor, so he has excellent administrative and people skills.
The other minister sinned because they referred their patients who in turn expected to jump the queue at every occasion.
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It is criminal that the files went missing,
is this how the previous party in government respects the people of Malta ?
Shame on you, the youths were right after all!
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Gvern Laburista ghandu jindirizza l-ingustizzji li graw fil-Malta Enterprise, fosthom fejn nies twarrbu u fejn ohrajn gew maqbuza.
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OMG-dont some people learn from the past mistakes of governments- each time we had a gp as a minister of health we had a disastor-look at deguara and michael farrugia- tenures punctuated by incompetence- Joe cassar was better but this mas mainly due to dallis baseline work that allowed cassar to look better than he really was- please please PM, dont put a doctor in charge of health-they are lousy lousy administrators, especially a village GP!!!!
