42 candidates vying for 18 seats on PN executive

he 18 posts on the Nationalist Party executive which are up for grabs in the forthcoming election will be contested by 42 candidates.

The electoral commission appointed by the party received the nominations for the elections, which will be held on 22 May.

In the elections nine posts will be filled by women and another nine posts will be filled by men.

Once the new executive members are elected, the party’s central organ which also includes the PN’s leadership and parliamentary group will elect the new PN secretary-general from within the executive.

The current secretary-general Chris Said has been asked to stand down by the party leader Simon Busuttil in order to to focus his energies on the Gozitan constituency following the resignation of party stalwart Giovanna Debono.

The former Gozo minister resigned from the party after her husband arraigned her husband earlier this week over charges of misappropriation of funds while she was in office.

MP Paula Mifsud Bonnici is set to remain PN General Council president as she was the only candidate to throw her name in the hat.

The female candidates for the nine executive posts are; Amanda Abela, Jacqueline Azzopardi, Tiffany Bonavia, Barbara Buttigieg, Rita Desira, Rita Dimech Portelli, Christabelle Ebejer, Ann Fenech, Caroline Galea, Graziella Galea, Denise Martin, Veronica Perici Calascione, Stefania Pirotta, Sandra Smart Costantino, Rosette Thake, Isabel Vella, Evelyn Vella Brincat, Francesca Zammit.

The male candidates are; Karol Aquilina, David Battistino, Johann Borg, Alexis Callus, Raymond Caruana, Neville Cassar, Malcolm Custò, Jean Pierre Debono, Trevor Degiorgio, Justin Fenech, David Griscti, Joseph Mercieca, Robert Micallef, Edward Mizzi, Kevin Mizzi, Martin Musumeci, Alex Perici Calascione, Stefano Persiano, Mark Anthony Sammut, Justin Schembri, Hermann Schiavone, Marco Spiteri, Alban Thika, Stefano Zammit.