Anthony Buttigieg to contest PD leadership

Partit Demokratiku deputy leader Anthony Buttigieg will be contesting party leadership during the party's annual general meeting in October.

Buttigieg announced his intentions in an official resignation letter submitted today to outgoing PD leader Marlene Farrugia, which formalises his previously publicised stepping down from deputy leader.

Buttigieg said he would resign as deputy leader through a Facebook post back in June, in protest over comments made by Farrugia, where she said that she did not exclude contesting for the PN leadership and merging the PD with the PN.

In a subsequent post, Buttigieg clarified that although he would be stepping down as deputy leader, he would remain a PD member.

The announcement that Buttigieg will contest for leadership comes after Farrugia said last week that she would not seek re-election.

In a statement, Partit Demokratiku welcomed his intentions and invited broader participation by the general public in what it called “the continued evolution and growth of this new party.”