Michael Axiaq ‘ready to give up seat for Simon Busuttil’

If a by-election takes place and PN candidate Michael Axiaq is elected in parliament, he is ready to yield his seat to MEP Simon Busuttil, if the latter wins the election for the new PN's deputy leader.

Everything hinges on whether Foreign Affairs Minister Tonio Borg is approved as the new EU commissioner for health and consumer affairs. If this would be the case, Borg would have to resign his seat in parliament.

He has already resigned his post as deputy leader. His successor - either Finance Minister Tonio Fenech or Simon Busuttil - will be elected on Friday 30 November.

Borg's resignation from parliament would then lead for a by-election on the eighth district, where former MP Michael Axiaq is touted to be favoured for election.

In comments to inewsmalta.com, Axiaq said he was "ready to give up his seat" for Busuttil.

"If it takes place, I would be interested to contest the by-election. However I am also ready not to contest if Simon Busuttil would eventually need that seat in parliament," Axiaq told the online newspaper.

He added that this all depended on how things were going to unfold and what the PN decides to do.

During the 2008 elections, Tonio Fenech was elected on the first count with 5,509 votes followed by Tonio Borg (3,780) and Beppe Fenech Adami (1,857).

Michael Axiaq had garnered 564 votes.

According to inewsmalta, favoured for the by-election is Michael Axiaq and possibly lawyer Martin Fenech.