Outgoing FZL president pushed to replace Zrinzo Azzopardi

Daniel Jose Micallef, a 27-year-old architect and outgoing president of Forum Zghazagh Laburisti - Labour's youth branch -is being pushed to become the Labour Party's new president, MaltaToday has learnt.

This move comes as incumbent President Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi is being touted for the position of chairman at the Valletta Rehabilitation Committee.

Nominations for top positions within the Labour Party's administration open next week. MaltaToday is informed that while Micallef will be submitting his nomination, Zrinzo Azzopardi will not.

This newspaper is also informed that the post of deputy leader for party affairs is going to be uncontested, allowing current deputy leader Toni Abela to retain his post.

Micallef, currently president of FZL, has already announced he will not seek re-election to the youth branch. Quoted in other sections of the media, Micallef said he felt it was time to move on, feeling that he had already given the forum all he had to give.

Zrinzo Azzopardi sought re-election as PL president in 2009, when then general secretary Jason Micallef resigned earlier in the year. In 2008, Zrinzo Azzopardi was comfortably elected to the post of party president with 593 out of 841 votes.

The only other contender, Wenzu Mintoff, only garnered 235.