The news that Malta Labour Party leader Alfred Sant “will be fit” for the election campaign following the major surgery he underwent two days after Christmas, “even if (the election is) called in the near future”, quashes all speculation about Dr Sant’s health and all that was related to it, in particular his ability to lead the party in the 2008 general election.

As soon as it was revealed, last week, that Dr Sant was to undergo a major surgery and all throughout the early days of his recovery, The Malta Independent voluntarily chose not to speculate about Dr Sant’s health and all that was being rumoured about the headship of the Malta Labour Party, in respect of the privacy of a man who is going through what must be one of his toughest personal moments.

The Malta Independent also voluntarily chose to publish only official statements made by the medical team that performed the surgery and is following Dr Sant’s recovery, and those made by the political party of which he is the leader, and will continue to do so with regard to Dr Sant’s health.

It is only now that his surgeon, Anthony Zammit, has made it public that Dr Sant’s “excellent” recovery within such a short span of time makes it possible for Dr Sant to return to his political work and activities as soon as he completes his recovery, that The Malta Independent feels it can comment on what one can expect in the coming days and weeks, and what has been said since 26 December, the day when it was announced that Dr Sant would undergo a major surgery.

Mr Zammit, who was addressing journalists outside Mater Dei Hospital on New Year’s Day, said that Dr Sant would be ready to embark on an election campaign after a 25-day rest period from the day of the surgery.

Just as much as it was – and still is – a difficult moment for Dr Sant, the news of the MLP leader’s illness must have led to great concern within the Nationalist Party ranks, simply because the time separating the country from a general election is getting shorter and shorter.

Once no election date was announced by mid-November, and the country could therefore concentrate on celebrating the Christmas and New Year festivities and on the introduction of the euro, it was clear that once Parliament resumed after the recess on Monday the speculation on the election would resume.

With Dr Sant in hospital, the local political scenario changed completely, and the man in the street was debating what would happen. Will the PN still call an early election? Or will it wait until Dr Sant is fully recovered? What will the MLP do if an election is called while Dr Sant is still in hospital? Which party stood to gain more in the circumstances?

These were some of the questions that were being constantly asked, and of course it was difficult to find an answer to them. Even Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi, rightly so, refrained from adding fuel to the speculation by refusing to answer questions about the election, saying that the most important thing was that Dr Sant fully recovered.

Now that it has been made clear that Dr Sant will be able to lead his party when the election campaign kicks off, and that he will go back to leading the party once he completes his recovery, a great weight has also been lifted off Dr Gonzi’s shoulders.

This is because the Labour Party, with the declaration made on New Year’s Day, is strongly hinting that it is still ready for an election campaign in spite of what has happened these last few days.

What the MLP seems to be suggesting however is that the government should wait until the 25 days given by Mr Zammit are over for Dr Gonzi to announce the date.