PN casual elections: 48 nominations for seven vacant seats

Nominations for those interested in contesting the seven casual elections to fill seats vacated by Nationalist MPs elected on two districts closed today.

The Electoral Commission said that 48 nominations were submitted for the casual elections that will be held to fill vacant seats on the 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th and 10th districts. On the 7th and 9th districts, two casual elections each will be held.

The casual elections will be held on Tuesday at the Naxxar counting hall. The process starts at 9am and is expected to be over in less than an hour.

The candidates include MPs from the last legislature, who failed to get elected on their own steam such as Karol Aquilina, Jason Azzopardi, Edwin Vassallo, Karl Gouder and Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici.

The PN statute stipulates that dual-candidacy MPs have to give up the district on which they have the lowest share of first count votes as a percentage of the respective district quota. This system removes any interference by the party in deciding which seats MPs have to give up.

On Friday, PN candidate Janice Chetcuti said she will not contest the casual election to give other 3rd District candidates a chance since she would still make it to parliament through the gender mechanism route.

Casual elections line-up

3rd District seat – seat vacated by Stephen Spiteri

Nominations: John Baptist Camilleri, Errol Cutajar, Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici, Mary Muscat and Leone Sciberras

5th District – seat vacated by Bernard Grech

Nominations: Stefan Caruana, Francine Farrugia, Owen Sciberras and Stanley Zammit

7th District – seat vacated by Ryan Callus

Nominations: Charles Azzopardi, Rebekah-Ann Cilia, Anthony Mifsud, Alessia Psaila Zammit, Edwin Vassallo and Josephine Xuereb 

7th District – seat vacated by Adrian Delia

Nominations: Charles Azzopardi, Rebekah-Ann Cilia, Anthony Mifsud, Alessia Psaila Zammit, Edwin Vassallo and Josephine Xuereb

9th District – seats vacated by Robert Arrigo

Nominations: Karol Aquilina, Graziella Attard Previ, Jason Azzopardi, Graham Bencini, Eve Borg Bonello, Albert Buttigieg, Karl Gouder, Noel Muscat, Emma Portelli Bonnici and Charles Selvaggi

9th District – seats vacated by Joe Giglio

Nominations: Karol Aquilina, Graziella Attard Previ, Jason Azzopardi, Graham Bencini, Eve Borg Bonello, Albert Buttigieg, Karl Gouder, Noel Muscat, Emma Portelli Bonnici and Charles Selvaggi

10th District – seat vacated by Mark Anthony Sammut

Nominations: Karol Aquilina, Graziella Attard Previ, Graham Bencini, Eve Borg Bonello, Albert Buttigieg, Karl Gouder and Emma Portelli Bonnici