PN executive to decide on David Stellini’s replacement on Saturday

The Nationalist Party’s executive committee will be meeting on Saturday to discuss who should replace David Stellini in parliament.

Speaking on current affairs programme Dissett yesterday, party leader Adrian Delia insisted that the matter of who would be replacing Stellini would be resolved in a matter of days.

A PN spokesperson confirmed that the meeting is scheduled to take place on Saturday.

Stellini said he had been forced into his decision by the partisan nature of Maltese politics. He said that though he had had returned to Malta to work for a politics of unity, the reality of Maltese politics is that there is a “group of people who want the politics of the arena…a battle between gladiators”.

Stellini was elected to parliament in the 2017 general election, through a casual election on the Gozo district, after MP Marthese Portelli, who was elected on two districts, gave up the seat.

He will now be replaced through co-option, meaning the party can nominate anyone it chooses to fill the seat.

Yesterday, a number of MPs took to Facebook to express their support for Gozitan local councillor Kevin Cutajar in a clear attempt to condition the selection process.  

Cutajar was a PN candidate for the 2017 and 2013 general elections, as well as local councillor in Xaghra since 2007.

The push for Cutajar presents the PN parliamentary group with a compelling argument to have a Gozitan take up the seat of Gozitan MP David Stellini, and in that way, also scupper the chances of seeing PN leader Adrian Delia push to have Jean Pierre Debono, the former MP who gave up his seat for Delia’s co-option in 2017, back in the House.

However, on Dissett, Delia confirmed that Debono had expressed an interest in being co-opted back to the House.

“I was clear that if he is selected, he will not be able to retain his post as chief political advisor. I had mentioned that this is a process that should be discussed, given that our secretary-general happens to be an MP,” he said referring to Clyde Puli.

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