Eddie Fenech Adami
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Dr. Edward Fenech-Adami (born February 7, 1934) was the Prime Minister of Malta from 1987 until 1996 and from 1998 until 2004. He took office as the seventh President of the Republic of Malta on April 4, 2004, succeeding Guido de Marco.
Fenech-Adami was born in Birkirkara. He studied at St Aloysius College, run by the Jesuits and the University of Malta, where he studied economics, the classics and law. He then became a barrister in 1959.
In early 1960s, Fenech-Adami joined the Partit Nazzjonalista. He was elected to the parliament in 1969. In 1977, he was elected Leader of the Nationalist Party (Malta), after serving in several other senior positions in the party. His party gained the majority of votes in the 1981 elections, yet did not take government due to lack of parliamentary seats. This was a constitutional crisis, yet Fenech-Adami chose to boycott parliament and take to the streets, unleashing one of the most violent periods in Maltese history. Eventually, prime minister Mintoff gave way and the constitution was amended so that the party with a majority of votes automatically takes the government seats, thus ensuring democracy.
He became PM for the first time in 1987, when his party won national parliamentary elections. His party's government was reaffirmed again in 1992. He lost the 1996 elections, but the replacement government was torn by internal strife and lost the elections it was forced to call in 1998. In March 2003 he won a referendum to join the EU, and less than a month later he was again re-elected prime minister for the fourth time, in April 2003. He announced his retirement on March 24, 2004, shortly after completing an agreement for Malta to join the European Union, and was replaced by Lawrence Gonzi. In 2003 he was awarded the 'European of the Year' award.
He is married to Mary née Sciberras and they have five children.
| Preceded by: Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici |
Prime Minister of Malta 1987–1996 |
Succeeded by: Alfred Sant |
| Preceded by: Alfred Sant |
Prime Minister of Malta 1998–2004 |
Succeeded by: Lawrence Gonzi |
| Preceded by: Guido de Marco |
President of the Republic of Malta 2004– |
Succeeded by: Current incumbent |
| Preceded by: Giorgio Borg Olivier |
Leader of the Nationalist Party 1978–2004 |
Succeeded by: Lawrence Gonzi |
