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The
OLIVE PRESS
FREE Vol. 8 Issue 209
THE TEAM: (clockwise from top left) Garcia, AriasVasquez, Santos and Feetham
Online frenzy RESIDENTS of Gibraltar were frantically refreshing their phones all morning on October 13 to find out the latest election results after the parliament digitized count reports. The online updates allowed residents and anyone anyway to follow the progress of the voter counts in real-time. Every polling station had three computers staffed by civil servants that input the votes into the isolated, secure system during the night. Civil servants relayed the results onto the parliament.gi website where people could follow the developing situation at home computers or on their phones. Although there were a few teething problems until about 2am, it finally proved a resounding success and painted the exciting story of one of the closest elections yet. Individual parties and even UK accountancy firm EY earlier gave the system their stamp of approval for security and efficiency.
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MINISTERS in the new GSLP/Liberal government will home in on the needs of certain ‘constituencies’ in Gibraltar as well as looking after the different portfolios. The new system of zonal management for each minister, along with the usual government departments, is a lesson learned from the last elections, Deputy Chief Minister Joseph Garcia said. It means the Chief Minister will now take on the portfolio for financial stability along with all his other responsibilities. He will also be responsible for Moorish Castle Estate, Calpe and Upper Town areas. The Deputy Chief Minister will keep his old roles and will be the constituency MP for the Lower Town areas. Gemma Arias-Vasquez will become Minister for Health, Care and Business and look after the Westside Area. Nigel Feetham will be the Minister for Justice, Trade and Industry and look out for Glacis Estate, Laguna Estate, Ocean Village and Bayside.
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ZONAL CARE Christian Santos will become the Minister for Equality, Employment, Culture and Tourism. His constituency will be Varyl Begg Estate, Sir William Jackson Grove and Mid-Harbour Estate. Professor John Cortes will be the Minister for Education, the Environment, and Climate Change and take care of Alameda Estate and the South District. Pat Orfila will become the Minister for Housing and will be the constituency MP for Bayview, Cumberland, Nelson’s View, Rosia Dale and Europa Point. Leslie Bruzon will be the Minister for Industrial Relations, Civil Contingencies and Sport. His constituency will be the Eastside and Catalan Bay. Sir Joe Bossano will be the Minister for Inward Investment and the Savings Bank, and will be the constituency MP for all senior citizens.
NEW ROLES: (clockwise from top left) Cortes, Orfila, Bossano and Bruzon
FAB-ULOUS
Close call as GSLP/Liberal Alliance keep control after cliffhanger election AFTER a tight election the GSLP/ Liberal Alliance has kept its hands on the reins of power. It means that they have won four Gibraltar general elections in a row. The win saw the incumbent government lose one parliamentary seat in one of the closest polls ever conducted in the British overseas territory. It gave GSLP leader Picardo and his partner in EU Treaty negotiations Liberal Joseph Garcia a new chance to work out Gibraltar’s relations with Spain in protracted talks that followed the Brexit referendum in June 2016. A 75% voter turnout pushed the GSLP/Liberals to win just under 50% of the vote to the GSD’s 48%. The alliance cruised to early control of the election as its leaders
By John Culatto
topped the polls from the start. But the loss of Liberal MP Vijay Daryanani and a poor performance from GSLP founder Sir Joe Bossano meant the final result was in doubt until the very end. GSD leader Keith Azopardi finally conceded defeat to the press minutes before he went on stage to address a packed John Mackintosh Hall theatre. And when Picardo took to the stage, he pledged to reveal all government company accounts next April in his acceptance speech after criticism of ‘secrecy’ during the short threeweek electoral campaign. Picardo said: “I want to thank the people of Gibraltar first of all for having deposited their confidence once again in the GSLP liberal Alliance that I lead. “It is quite extraordinary for us to have had the run that we have had, in order to win four out of four general elections on the job.” He expressed his delight at being able to ‘retain the confidence of half, at least, of the people of Gibraltar” even after the pandemic, a cost VICTORY LAP: New bosses take a walk of living crisis, and
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FAB FOUR: Picardo celebrates fourth victory the international issues facing Gibraltar. The result followed changes on the slates of both of Gibraltar’s main parties. The GSLP/Liberals brought in five new faces, while the GSD brought in six of their own, two of whom the electorate rejected. Strong attacks on GSD candidates Daniella Tilbury and Youssef El Hana seemed to work as voters gave them the blind eye in the polls, leaving GSD leader Keith
Azopardi with another term in Opposition after a hard-fought campaign. Azopardi called the election ‘a roller coaster’ and said he ‘firmly believed that Gibraltar needed a new way’ claiming those issues remained a problem. “They don’t magically go away and I hope the new administration reflects on that,” he added. Independent candidate Robert Vasquez thanked the more than 3,000 people that voted for him as he declared this would be his last election. “One thing that I think has come forward in today’s election is that we are very divided,” Vasquez said. “I just hope and pray for the sake of Gibraltar that our political classes unite and achieve a system that will help us all go forward.”
TOP TABLE: Picardo and colleagues
Opinion Page 6