Lawrence Gonzi
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| Lawrence Gonzi | |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 23 March 2004 |
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| President | Guido de Marco Eddie Fenech Adami |
| Deputy | Tonio Borg |
| Preceded by | Eddie Fenech Adami |
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| Born | 1 July 1953 Pietà, Malta |
| Political party | PN |
| Spouse | Catherine Callus |
| Children | David Mikela Paul |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Lawrence Gonzi (born July 1, 1953) is the incumbent Prime Minister of Malta. He is also the leader of the governing Nationalist Party (Maltese: Partit Nazzjonalista). He became prime minister on March 23, 2004, following the retirement of Eddie Fenech Adami.
[edit] Family
Gonzi is the son of Luigi Gonzi [1] and Ines Galea and grandnephew of Mgr. Mikiel Gonzi, the former Archbishop of Malta. His younger brother is Michael Gonzi. Gonzi is married to Catherine née Callus, and they have three children: David, Mikela and Paul.
[edit] Political life
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 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.
Gonzi was again successful in 2003 and, following the resignation of Eddie Fenech Adami as Prime Minister and party leader, Gonzi won the leadership contest held in February 2004. He was appointed Prime Minister shortly afterwards. From 2004 onwards, Gonzi took under his name the finance portfolio as Minister of Finance. As Minister of Finance, Gonzi was able to meet Maastricht criteria, propelling Malta into the Eurozone.
In the general election held on 8 March 2008, Gonzi was again elected as Prime Minister. He is leading the country with the European, national and local governing, planning and environment, military, sustainable development, and tourism portfolios. Assisting him as Parliamentary Secretaries there will be Mario de Marco, as Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism, and Chris Said, as Parliamentary Secretary for Public Dialogue and Information.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Eddie Fenech Adami |
Prime Minister of Malta 2004 – present |
Incumbent |
| Preceded by Guido de Marco |
Deputy Prime Minister of Malta 1999 – 2004 |
Succeeded by Tonio Borg |
| Preceded by John Dalli |
Finance Minister of Malta 2004 – 2008 |
Succeeded by Tonio Fenech |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by Eddie Fenech Adami |
Leader of the Nationalist Party of Malta 2004 – present |
Incumbent |
| Preceded by Guido de Marco |
Deputy Leader of the Nationalist Party of Malta 1999 – 2004 |
Succeeded by Tonio Borg |
| Preceded by Austin Gatt |
General Secretary of the Nationalist Party of Malta 1998 – 1999 |
Succeeded by Joe Saliba |
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