Labour Party confirms Oliver Scicluna co-option

The Labour Party has confirmed Oliver Scicluna’s co-option into the House of Representatives. 

The party said in a statement that it was the Prime Minister Robert Abela himself who forwarded Scicluna’s co-option. 

The nomination was discussed among the government’s parliamentary group, as well as the party’s executive and was approved unanimously.

Earlier on Friday, the Prime Minister Robert Abela insisted that Scicluna’s nomination would strengthen diversity in parliament.

Reacting to criticism by the Nationalist Party, insisted that co-option was a mechanism recognised at law and was used by the Opposition to elect its current leader and his predecessor.

Scicluna will be replacing former minister Gavin Gulia, who won the casual election for the 7th District seat vacated by Edward Scicluna after obtaining 2,216 votes in a runoff with Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando.

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At 25, Oliver Scicluna was making headlines with his freestyle b-boy dance routine on stage and in skateparks. 

Born with spina bifida, Scicluna broke common disability misconceptions as Jimbo Thinlegz, taking on children and young people with a disability with his breakdancing project, called Breaking Limits. He taught breakdancing to young performers.

Scicluna has no known prior involvement in party politics.

The Labour Party rumour mill had the mayor of Haż-Żebbuġ, Malcolm Paul Galea, and Gozitan surgeon Jo Etienne Abela, as front runners for a possible co-option.