Karl Stennienibarra
Gozitans have voted to replace the collapsed Azure Window with X-Factor Malta winner Michela Pace.
In a snap referendum called this afternoon by the Ministry for Gozo, 90% of people resident on the island voted to turn the 18-year-old singer into their latest permanent attraction.
After representing Malta at the Eurovision Song Contest in May, Michela will return to Gozo and take her place on the cliff edge at Dwejra.
There, she will stand all year round – rain or shine – while singing, posing for selfies and waving at passing tourist boats.
“Whether she wins or not in Tel Aviv is irrelevant,” Minister for Gozo Justyne Caruana told the crowd who had gathered in Victoria to celebrate the result.
“The only thing that matters is that she tries her best, sings her heart out, then comes back here pronto to make us some money,” Caruana said.
While most Gozitans were delighted by the choice, others were a little more cautious.
“I just hope coastal erosion doesn’t get her too,” said fisherman Joseph Meilak, 64, from San Lawrenz.
The singer herself said she was aware of the environmental dangers, but was ready to face them.
“If I can stand next to Joseph Calleja, I can handle any storm,” she said.
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