Lawrence Gonzi (born July 1, 1953) is a Maltese politician who has been Prime Minister of Malta since 2004. He was Speaker of the House of Representatives of Malta from 1988 to 1996, Minister of Social Policy from 1998 to 1999, and Deputy Prime Minister from 1999 to 2004. As Prime Minister, he has also been leader of the Nationalist Party (Maltese: Partit Nazzjonalista) since 2004.
Prime Minister
Following the resignation of Eddie Fenech Adami as party leader, Gonzi won the leadership contest held in March 2004. He was appointed Prime Minister shortly after Fenech Adami stepped down to give way for his succession. From 2004 onwards, Gonzi took under his responsibility the finance portfolio as Minister of Finance. As Minister of Finance, he successfully managed the process to achieve the Maastricht criteria, propelling Malta into the Eurozone.
Following the general election held on 8 March 2008, Gonzi was reconfirmed as Prime Minister. He relinquished his post as Minister of Finance but assumed responsibility for the Malta Environment and Planning Authority (MEPA), in particular its reform. He was reelected Nationalist Party leader at the general council meeting on 4 May 2008.
Family
Lawrence Gonzi is the son of Luigi Gonzi and Ines Galea and grandnephew of Mons. Mikiel Gonzi, former Archbishop of Malta. His younger brother is Michael Gonzi, a Nationalist backbencher.
Gonzi is married to Catherine née Callus, and they have three children: David, Mikela, Paul.
From : www.wikipedia.org
