Many have attributed the Nationalist Party’s election win to the charisma and ability of its leader, Lawrence Gonzi. The PN’s idea to base all its election campaign on its leader was harshly criticised by its adversaries, but it turned out to be its main asset.

The fact that nobody could point a finger at the prime minister was the PN’s trump card. Arguably, he could have been accused of not delivering on his promise to deliver fresh politics; he could also have been accused of not exercising good control over some members of his Cabinet, but at the end of the day even the harshest of his political opponents had to admit that, in 2008, the country is in a much better state than it was when he took over as prime minister four years ago.

And this is what matters most to most people. Dr Gonzi’s policies have left more money in people’s pockets. They are saving more and spending more, and this has been a boost to the country’s economy, so much in difficulty in the months before and just after Malta’s European Union membership.

Dr Gonzi has also kept his word, so far, in the new legislature. During the election campaign he promised he would take over control of the Malta Environment and Planning Authority, and he did, aiming to make it more efficient and less controversial in the same way as he managed to turn around the country’s finances.

He promised that he would reduce the number of ministers and bring new blood into his Cabinet, and he did, doing away with ministers who failed to perform as well as expected or who were involved in matters that put the previous government in bad light. Instead, he named a smaller group of ministers with more extensive portfolios, and while he showed confidence in people who did their job well, he appointed a fresh set of parliamentary secretaries who are bound to give the government the new impetus it needs.

Time will tell whether Dr Gonzi’s decision will be effective or otherwise. But what is certain is that the prime minister has kept the promise he made to the electorate before the election – that he will not look at faces when it comes to appointing the members of the Cabinet.

The fact that the prime minister chose to start with a clean slate is a clear indication that he means business. He has chosen his people carefully, and now he expects the best from them. He will not tolerate any kind of misbehaviour either – Dr Gonzi knows that the election was won, in spite of the many mistakes that individual ministers and parliamentary secretaries committed in the past five years, because the Malta Labour Party did not convince the people that it is a better alternative.

The story will be different in 2013, when the next election is due. For one thing, the MLP is soon to appoint a new leader, and that will already change the local political scenario. Dr Gonzi will no longer be the younger leader of the two.

It will however be no surprise – and we say it five years early – that, come what may, Dr Gonzi is already planning to step down once the next election is over. He would have spent nine years as party leader and prime minister (so far with excellent results) and, whether the PN win or lose, it will be time for him to move on and for the party to find a new leader.

If the next five years confirm the progress that has been achieved in the last four, he will leave the country in great shape.