General election: Adrian Delia to also contest on the 7th District

Former Nationalist Party leader Adrian Delia will be contesting the general election on the 7th and 8th districts after the party executive yesterday approved his second candidature.

Delia had been approved as a candidate on the 8th District several months ago and yesterday the executive approved his candidature on the 7th District.

Delia owes his seat in parliament to the 7th District after former MP Jean Pierre Debono had resigned in 2017 to clear the road for the party leader’s co-option.

The 7th District comprises the localities of Rabat, Żebbuġ, Mġarr and Dingli, while the 8th District includes Delia’s hometown Birkirkara.

The PN elected two MPs from the 7th District and three from the 8th in the 2017 general election.

“I have just been unanimously approved by the executive to contest the general election on the 7th District as well after I had been approved on the 8th. I promise to work harder for the benefit of all the constituents of these localities,” Delia said in Facebook post.

The choice of a second electoral district where Delia would contest had been the subject of speculation over the past months.

During an interview on the Granaries last month, PN leader Bernard Grech had said the discussions regarding Delia’s second candidature were ongoing and a decision would be taken in the best interest of the party. The reply suggested that the party was pushing for Delia to contest on a district other than the 7th.

In other developments, Claudette Buttigieg will also be contesting the 13th District apart from the 12th, her home district.