Former president Prof Guido de Marco died on Thursday afternoon. He was 79 years old.

Prof de Marco was rushed to Mater Dei Hospital on Thursday afternoon after collapsing in his home in Sliema, just two days after having been taken there from hospital, where he had appeared to have recovered from complications.

The state funeral will be held on Monday afternoon in Valletta. The President will lie in state at the presidential palace in Valletta between Saturday and Monday morning.

Expressing its condolences to the family, the Nationalist Party said that Prof de Marco was not just a politician but one of Malta’s best ever politicians. The Labour Party described him as a formidable policician and a great orator, while Alternattiva Demokratika said that Malta had lost a true gentleman, a true visionary and an exemplary statesman who never shied away from speaking for peace, justice, respect and democracy.

The President of the European Parliament, Jerzy Buzek, also sent his condolences and said “Guido de Marco has led Malta into the European Union and was a highly respected politician and statesman. Guido de Marco embodied the best qualities of a modern politician: he was a true patriot who loved his country and his people and he was an open-minded and committed European statesman who was deeply respected all over Europe.”

President George Abela has also expressed his condolences to the family of President Emeritus Guido de Marco, who passed away this afternoon (see video by Favourite Channel News below).

Favourite Channel News provides more information:

Prof de Marco was born in Valletta on 22nd July 1931. He was educated at St Joseph High School, St. Aloysius’ College and the University of Malta. He graduated as a Bachelor of Arts in 1952, in Philosophy, Economics and Italian and in 1955 as a Doctor of Laws. For a time he served as a lawyer for the government.

He unsuccessfully contested the 1962 elections with the Democratic Nationalist Party (a splinter group of the Nationalist Party). He subsequently joined the main party and was elected for the first time in the interests of the Nationalist Party to the House of Representatives of Malta in April 1966 and was returned to Parliament at every General Election until 1998.

Appointed Secretary General of the Nationalist Party in 1972, he served until 1977 when elected Deputy Leader and had since been uninterruptedly confirmed until his resignation in March 1999. When the Nationalist Party was returned to office in 1987, Prof de Marco was appointed Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior and Justice.

He was appointed as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Justice in May 1990 and Minister of Foreign Affairs between February 1992 and October 1996. One of his first acts as Foreign Minister was submitting Malta’s application for membership of the European Communities in Brussels on 16th July 1990. Stressing Malta’s European vocation, Prof de Marco also underlined the validity of the Mediterranean dimension.

On 18th September 1990, Prof Guido de Marco was elected President of the United Nations General Assembly (45th Session). During this time he initiated a dialogue, that later led to a presidential motion unanimously approved, to revitalize the United Nations General Assembly and other aspects of reform necessary during a time of transition in international relations.

He was re-appointed Deputy Prime Minister of Malta and Minister of Foreign Affairs on 8th September 1998, following the Nationalist Party’s victory at the 1998 General Elections, a capacity which he held until his nomination to the Presidency of Malta. On the 11th September 1998, he presented Malta’s request for the reactivation of its application for membership to the European Union. On 4th April 1999, he was appointed President of Malta.