Alessia Psaila Zammit and husband Frank Psaila resign from PN

Former election candidate and local councillor Alessia Psaila Zammit has resigned from the Nationalist Party, together with her husband and former MEP candidate Frank Psaila. 

The two members, who formed part of the PN's executive committee, submitted their resignations to PN general secretary Michael Piccinino on Monday.

Psaila Zammit was a PN councillor on the Siggiewi local council, and had contested the March election as a Nationalist candidate. She failed to get elected, and has even resigned from her local councillor position. 

She previously served as a newscaster on the party's TV channel Net News and was a communications coordinator for ex-minister Mario de Marco. 

Sources said her resignation appears to be motivated by the fact that she was sidelined by the party leadership throughout the election campaign.

This sentiment had been echoed by former MP Jason Azzopardi and ex-councillor Doris Borg, who both resigned from the Nationalist Party after failing to get elected in last month's election.

Meanwhile, her husband Frank Psaila had contested the 2019 European elections as a PN candidate, and secured the third-highest number of votes for the party that year. He had served as director of information for the party, and presented a discussion programme on Net News. 

Psaila confirmed the resignations with MaltaToday, adding that the two want to focus on their private lives, legal profession, business activities, impartial participation in the media and other public roles. 

"We have nothing more to add - apart from thanking all those who supported us throughout this 20 year political journey within the PN," Psaila said.

In total, five Nationalist Party members have resigned from the Nationalist Party in recent weeks after the party suffered a miserable result in the March general election. 

This include Frank Psaila, Alessia Psaila Zammit, Jason Azzopardi, Doris Borg, and Ivan Bartolo. Bartolo contested the fourth district in the last election and was a Paola councillor.

Additionally, three former MPs withdrew their candidature on the first day of the election campaign, creating a rocky start to the campaign trail for the Nationalist Party.