Eddie Fenech Adami facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Eddie Fenech Adami
|
|
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2007
|
|
| 7th President of Malta | |
| In office 4 April 2004 – 4 April 2009 |
|
| Prime Minister | Lawrence Gonzi |
| Preceded by | Guido de Marco |
| Succeeded by | George Abela |
| 10th Prime Minister of Malta | |
| In office 6 September 1998 – 23 March 2004 |
|
| President | Ugo Mifsud Bonnici Guido de Marco |
| Preceded by | Alfred Sant |
| Succeeded by | Lawrence Gonzi |
| In office 12 May 1987 – 28 October 1996 |
|
| President | Paul Xuereb Ċensu Tabone Ugo Mifsud Bonnici |
| Preceded by | Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici |
| Succeeded by | Alfred Sant |
| Leader of the Opposition | |
| In office 28 October 1996 – 6 September 1998 |
|
| President | Ugo Mifsud Bonnici |
| Prime Minister | Alfred Sant |
| Preceded by | Alfred Sant |
| Succeeded by | Alfred Sant |
| In office 1977 – 12 May 1987 |
|
| President | Anton Buttigieg |
| Prime Minister | Dom Mintoff Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici |
| Preceded by | Giorgio Borg Olivier |
| Succeeded by | Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Edoardo Fenech Adami
7 February 1934 Birkirkara, Crown Colony of Malta |
| Political party | Nationalist Party |
| Spouse | Mary Fenech Adami |
| Children | 5 (including Beppe Fenech Adami) |
| Alma mater | Royal University of Malta |
| Profession | Lawyer |
| Signature |  |
| Website | http://eddiefenechadami.org/ |
Edoardo "Eddie" Fenech Adami (born 7 February 1934) is a Maltese politician. He served as the prime minister of Malta from 1987 to 1996, and again from 1998 to 2004. After that, he became the seventh president of Malta from 2004 to 2009.
Eddie Fenech Adami led his party to win four general elections. These were in 1987, 1992, 1998, and 2003. He also won the most votes in 1981. He strongly supported Malta joining the European Union (EU). His efforts were very important for Malta to become an EU member.
Fenech Adami first worked as a Lawyer. He became a Member of Parliament (MP) in 1969. He held many important positions within his party. He became the leader of the Nationalist Party in 1977.
As party leader, Fenech Adami led a campaign for democratic principles. When he became Prime Minister in 1987, he started many political and economic changes. These changes aimed to improve the economy and reduce unemployment. His policies focused on making the economy more open and modern.
He was re-elected in 1992. However, some of his economic changes, like introducing a new tax called VAT, were not popular. He lost the election in 1996. But he returned as Prime Minister less than two years later in 1998. He then restarted Malta's application to join the EU.
He successfully led the campaign for Malta to join the EU in 2003. He signed Malta's agreement to join the EU. He then became President of Malta in 2004.
Contents
Who is Eddie Fenech Adami?
Eddie Fenech Adami was born in Birkirkara, Malta, on 7 February 1934. His mother was Josephine Fenech Adami, and his father was Luigi Fenech Adami. He was the fourth of five children. His early years were during World War II in Malta.
He went to St Aloysius' College. Then he studied at the Royal University of Malta. He studied economics, classics, and law. He became a lawyer in 1959. He was married to Mary Fenech Adami, who passed away in 2011. They had five children together. One of his sons, Beppe Fenech Adami, is also a politician.
How did his political journey begin?
Fenech Adami joined the Nationalist Party in the early 1960s. He worked in different roles within the party. He became a Member of Parliament in 1969. This happened after a special election for an empty seat.
In the 1970s, the Nationalist Party was in opposition. Fenech Adami became a spokesperson for the party. He became the leader of the Nationalist Party in April 1977. He won the leadership election with a large majority. He then worked to modernize the party. This helped attract many new, younger members.
During the late 1970s and 1980s, there were times of political tension in Malta. In 1979, his home was attacked by a group of people. This event, known as Black Monday, showed the challenges of the time. It also made his leadership stronger. Many people gathered to support him after the attack.
In the 1981 elections, the Nationalist Party won the most votes. However, they did not win the most seats in Parliament. This was due to how the voting districts were set up. Fenech Adami led a campaign of peaceful protest. His party boycotted Parliament to push for fairer elections.
In 1986, there was another incident of political unrest. Nationalist Party supporters faced obstacles and attacks on their way to a meeting. This event, at Tal-Barrani, led to injuries. It was followed by the tragic murder of Raymond Caruana. Fenech Adami spoke out against these acts in Parliament. He emphasized the importance of liberty and democracy.
What did he do as Prime Minister?
.jpg)
After some changes to the constitution, the party with the most votes would win the most seats. In 1987, the Nationalist Party won the general elections. Eddie Fenech Adami became Prime Minister.
From 1987 to 1992, Malta saw many big changes. Malta started to become a modern European democracy. The country's relationships with other nations grew. Malta also improved its physical infrastructure. This included building a new airport, reverse osmosis plants, and a power station. Many roads were also rebuilt.
His government also changed how businesses worked. They made it easier for new businesses to start. They also sold some state-owned companies to private owners. Malta began to integrate with the European Economic Community (EEC), which later became the EU. This meant removing some import taxes.
Fenech Adami was re-elected as Prime Minister in 1992. However, his popularity dropped during his second term. This was partly because of new economic reforms. One unpopular change was the introduction of VAT. This new tax helped the government's finances but was disliked by many. The Labour Party, led by Alfred Sant, gained popularity. The Nationalist Party lost the 1996 general elections.
What did he do as Leader of the Opposition?
From 1996 to 1998, Fenech Adami served as the Leader of the Opposition. The Labour government had a very small majority in Parliament. This led to a period of political instability. The Labour government changed some economic policies. They removed VAT and introduced new taxes.
The political situation was difficult. The Labour government decided to call an early election. In September 1998, Fenech Adami's party won the election. He became Prime Minister again.
His second term as Prime Minister and the EU
When he returned as Prime Minister in 1998, he reactivated Malta's application to join the European Union. Negotiations for membership were completed by December 2002.
Fenech Adami successfully led the campaign for Malta to join the EU. This included the 2003 EU membership referendum. He then won the general election that followed. On 16 April 2003, he signed Malta's agreement to join the European Union. He represented Malta at many EU and Commonwealth meetings.
In December 2003, he received the "European of the Year 2003 Award." This award recognized his strong efforts to bring Malta into the European Union. He resigned as Leader of the Nationalist Party in February 2004. He then resigned as Prime Minister and left Parliament in March 2004. He was the longest-serving Prime Minister since Malta became independent.
President of Malta
After leaving his role as Prime Minister, Eddie Fenech Adami became the President of Malta. He took office on 4 April 2004. He served a five-year term. He left office on 4 April 2009. George Abela then became the new President.
Honours
Eddie Fenech Adami has received many awards and honours from Malta and other countries.
Maltese honours
- Companion of Honour of the National Order of Merit (1990)
Foreign honours
- Grand-Cross of the Order of Prince Henry, Portugal (1994)
- Commander Grand-Cross of the Order of the Three Stars, Latvia (2004)
- Grand Cross with Chain of the Order of the Star of Romania (2004)
- Knight Grand-Cross with Grand Cordon of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (2005)
- Honorary Knight Grand-Cross of the Order of the Bath, United Kingdom (2005)
- Knight Grand-Cross of the Grand Order of King Tomislav, Croatia (2006)
- Grand Cross with Chain of the Order of Merit of Hungary (2007)
- Grand-Collar of the Order of Prince Henry, Portugal (2008)
- Knight of the Order of the White Eagle, Poland (2009)
- Commander of the National Order of the Legion of Honour, France (2010)
See also
- List of prime ministers of Malta
