Professor de Marco made the announcement after presenting the fifth annual presidency report during his tenure at the palace in Valletta yesterday.

President de Marco took the opportunity to make a very frank, emotional and informal goodbye speech before he steps down tomorrow.

He said he felt that the Presidency now had a solid role and function – something he said he was sure his successor, Eddie Fenech Adami, would continue to build on. He made many an emotional reference to highlights of his five-year stint as President.

Professor de Marco said that when he assumed the Presidency five years ago, he did it with the aim of getting closer to the people. “I think that, over the years, I have managed to do this through involving myself in campaigns and activities and, of course, making various visits to localities around Malta and Gozo,” he said.

“This appointment has allowed me to learn so much about people and the Maltese way of life,” he said.

Professor de Marco defined the role of the Maltese presidency as a unifying force. “Unlike a prime minister, who is head of government, the president is the head of state – the representative of all Maltese and Gozitan citizens,” he said.

Professor de Marco also said that a president should seek to improve Malta’s standing overseas as well as try to promote the country’s political and economic interests. “This past year, I made state visits to Egypt, Libya, Italy and Kuwait. On each trip I took every possible opportunity to network with foreign businessmen and members of government in an effort to extend friendships and to try and attract investment to Malta,” said President de Marco.

He gave Italy as a particular example, saying that he had met several members of the business community who, in turn, had paid him a courtesy visit later in the year.

The President said he had also tried to convey Malta’s political message to the world in other visits he has made. “I have given lectures at various universities and I always tried to deliver a lecture that conveyed Malta’s political view and aims,” he said.

He said that he had also paid a visit to former Israeli premier Shimon Perez and that he regularly speaks to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat on the telephone. “The Middle East is still a crisis zone, but I have tried to show that the Maltese are friends with both parties. We can still try to help them sort this awful situation out,” he said. The President said that it was Pope John Paul II who said that the Maltese people were the ones who could build bridges of peace in the Mediterranean region.

President de Marco said he had always found the support of civil society, particularly trade unions. “Trade unions do a lot of good work, they work hard to improve people’s quality of life,” he said.

The President said that gone were the days of unions and employers battling out a tug-of-war. “Nowadays, organisations like the FOI, employers and unions all pull together. It is good to see and I thank them all for meeting me and discussing issues over the past five years,” he said.

He also thanked the police and the Armed Forces for their tireless fight against the drug scourge. “The police commissioner himself sat with me on the Drug Forum. I will be passing on a report of the Forum’s work to my successor and I hope he picks up where I left off. The President also has a role to play in the fight against such a terrible scourge that ruins the lives of so many youngsters and their families,” he said.

He also outlined the President’s role on the Commission for the Administration of Justice. “The President is the chairman. But he does not vote unless there is a tied vote on issues. But as far as I can remember there wasn’t a single occasion where I had to vote on any issue,” he said.

President de Marco described the commission as a buffer between government and the judiciary. “True, the courts are autonomous, but they cannot be aloof either and that is where the role of the President comes in once again,” he said.

Professor de Marco said that the last year had been a tumultuous one, with a lot of change. “There was the referendum and the general election. True, there was a lot of strong debate, but everyone has the right to their own opinion; that is called democracy. But people’s opinions must be respected. And the Malta Labour Party accepted the people’s decision. For respecting democracy at its best, I thank them deeply,” he said.

Professor de Marco thanked both political parties for moving away from the confrontation that threatened to ruin Malta before it even had a chance to find its feet. “I lived through the years when being of a particular political belief meant you were the enemy of others. But the political divide is definitely a lot less than it used to be. This new attitude is down to the attitudes of all three political parties and they deserve recognition for it,” he said.

Professor de Marco said that he was definitely not going to retire from public life. “I cannot imagine going down to the corner shop to buy bread for Violet, my wife. I will do something for sure.”

Asked whether he was going to contest the European Parliament elections, Professor de Marco said: “Indications are that I will not. I don’t think so. But I must also point out that I would never consider anything else while I am still President of Malta. As President you must forget all other motives and be a servant of the people of Malta and Gozo. In fact, I refuse to be associated with any rumours that circulated while I was President.”

The President conceded that he wanted to remain active both in the national and the international fora. Asked about what advice he could give the next President, Eddie Fenech Adami, Professor de Marco said: “First of all, I wish him well. Secondly, I would tell him to forget his previous role as head of government and head of the PN. As President you must forget all political bias. You can have your opinions, but you must keep them to yourself,” he said.

President de Marco said being President had absolutely nothing to do with being a politician.

“The President must be impartial and he must be careful and it might be hard, but the President must forget his political beliefs. It is his duty,” said Professor de Marco. He said that a President’s true power was not on paper but was all down to morals, ethics and values.

The Malta Independent asked Professor de Marco what he considered to be the most memorable moment in his five-year tenure. “It would have to be when the Pope squeezed my hand on the way to his plane when he was leaving our country. He told me that we could be the builders of bridges of peace. That was a holy time that was full of love,” he said.

President de Marco concluded by thanking everyone for their support during his term. “I don’t think anyone ever let me down. Anyone,” he repeated. “But if I, in any way, have let someone down, I ask them for forgiveness.”

He concluded: “On Sunday I will walk into the palace as President of the Republic of Malta, but I will leave as a private citizen: Guido de Marco. Again I thank you all.”