Former Malta PM elected president

Former Malta prime minister Eddie Fenech Adami has been elected president of the tiny Mediterranean archipelago which will formally join an enlarged European Union on May 1.

The House of Representatives voted late Monday by 33 votes to 29 for Fenech Adami to succeed outgoing president Guido di Marco.

Fenech Adami was replaced as prime minister by Lawrence Gonzi earlier this month.

European Commission chief Romano Prodi congratulated Fenech Adami on his election, while saying that his political skills as government head would be missed by his EU colleagues.

"Although I will regret your active contribution to our discussions in the European Council, I understand that after so many years at the centre of political life in Malta, you were looking for an orderly succession and you wanted to start a new phase in your life," he said in a letter.

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