Three new PN candidates elected to Parliament in casual elections; 4 others retain seats
Seven Nationalist candidates were elected to Parliament this morning in casual elections held to fill seats vacated by other MPs who were elected twice.
The counting process took place at the Naxxar hall, with three of the MPs elected being new faces in Parliament while another four retained their seat.
This also meant that other candidates who served as MPs in the last legislature lost their final chance of making it to Parliament.
In what was something of a surprise, Andrew Agius was the first candidate to be elected, on the seventh district, replacing Rebekah Borg.
Agius is a new face to the PN team, and he beat incumbent MPs Ian Mario Vassallo and Charles Azzopardi to a seat.
It was a close contest where Azzopardi actually had a slight lead with 950 votes to his name compared to the 932 of Agius and 859 of Vassallo. Paul Mazzola was the remaining candidate in the race, and he had 439 votes on the first count.
Vote inheritance however meant that Agius forged ahead of Azzopardi: he inherited 51 more votes than Azzopardi from Mazzola, and then inherited another 62 more votes than Azzopardi when Vassallo was knocked out of the race.
This meant that Agius made it to Parliament by 92 votes.
Speaking to the media, Agius described his election as a dream, expressing particular pride at becoming the first veterinarian to serve in Parliament.
Asked whether he hoped to be assigned a portfolio related to animal welfare, Agius said that the allocation of responsibilities rests with Opposition Leader Alex Borg and that he would be happy to serve in any role entrusted to him. However, he underlined his longstanding commitment to animal welfare and pledged to continue working strongly in favour of animals and the organisations active in the sector.
Reflecting on his election, Agius attributed his success to staying close to people, remaining grounded and maintaining a service-oriented approach. “We are here to serve, not to be served,” he said, describing the principle as his guiding motto.
As expected, Stanley Zammit made a return to Parliament from District 5 in the seat vacated by Conrad Borg Manche.
He was elected on the first count, as he received 2,156 of Borg Manche’s votes – 163 more than the required quota.
Duncan Borg Myatt was a distant second with 570 votes, followed by Stefan Caruana with 524 votes, and then Oliver Cini with 237 votes and Owen Sciberras with 194 votes.
Stanley Zammit compared his election to his hometown club, Birżebbuġa St. Peter’s FC, securing its dramatic promotion to the BOV Premier League, from the BOV Challenge League, through a decider in late April via penalties after regular and extra time. Zammit said that “the same happened today.”
The PN MP has been re-elected for his second and consecutive parliamentary term. He was elected on both occasions through casual elections.
“I’d like to thank, from the bottom of my heart, my wife and children, the whole team, leader Alex Borg, the party, all those who – through one preference or another – put their faith in me,” he said.
Zammit said that the PN must work with the same honesty, but with more energy, the same competence, and more vigour. He said he will do so for the good of the country and the district he has been elected to represent.
When asked whether he wants to retain his role as Shadow Minister for Planning, Zammit quipped that “it is not a sexy portfolio, be sure” and that it is party leader Borg’s prerogative to assign these roles. He added that “considerable work” is required to address planning Bills 143 and 144, noting that the government would have passed these bills if it weren’t for the PN Opposition and environmental groups.
The third candidate to make it through was Graziella Attard Previ on the hotly contested 10th district. She will also be making a return to Parliament to fill the seat vacated by Mark Anthony Sammut.
A total of nine candidates contested the casual election, in what was a close battle for the coveted Parliament seat.
Albert Buttigieg, an MP of the last legislature, actually led the way at the first count with 649 votes compared to Attard Previ’s 574 votes and Graham Bencini’s 531 votes.
However, vote inheritance from candidates David Bonello – where Attard Previ inherited 125 votes compared to Buttigieg’s 23 votes – and Marilena Gauci – where Attard Previ inherited 161 votes compared to Buttigieg’s 45 votes – put the former Sliema mayor ahead.
She was eventually elected with 1,818 votes on the final count – 366 more than Buttigieg.
Asked by journalists, Attard Previ expressed her satisfaction following her election on District 10, thanking voters for the trust they placed in her. She said the result was particularly rewarding given the hard work invested to reach this stage, describing her election as a moment of great personal and political fulfilment.
Asked whether she would like to retain the same portfolio she previously held, Attard Previ said the decision ultimately rests with Opposition Leader Alex Borg. While noting her extensive work in the areas of equality and civil rights, she pointed out that her academic background is in social policy and said she remains open to different responsibilities. She added that she trusts the party leader’s judgment regarding any future role she may be assigned.
Ian Vassallo was elected in the second vacated seat on the seventh district, replacing Adrian Delia. Vassallo retained his seat after having served in the past legislature, but that was at the expense of Charles Azzopardi, whose best chance of re-election was on this district.
The seat was contested by just three candidates since Andrew Agius was elected earlier in the morning.
Vassallo won 1,790 of Delia’s votes while Azzopardi won 1,510. Paul Mazzola was a distant third with 418 votes, and while Azzopardi inherited 31 more vote than Vassallo when Mazzola was knocked out, it was not enough to make an impact on the final vote tally.
Vassallo said he was overwhelmed with emotion following his election on District 7, thanking voters for their trust as well as his family and friends for their support throughout the campaign. He described the electoral campaign as one of the best experiences of his political journey and said he was looking forward to continuing his work under the leadership of Opposition Leader Alex Borg.
Vassallo said he remains highly motivated to keep engaging with the public and to continue serving people, particularly in the health sector, where he has worked for several years. He expressed gratitude to the Nationalist Party, the media and everyone who supported his candidacy, adding that he is eager to continue working on behalf of constituents.
Asked about his priorities in mental health, Vassallo said he intends to maintain a strong focus on the sector, arguing that Malta still has significant room for improvement in both mental health infrastructure and the services available to patients. Drawing on his experience as a healthcare professional, he said he is concerned by the challenges faced by patients and healthcare workers, and called for greater investment in healthcare services and infrastructure. He argued that the country’s healthcare system is under considerable strain and said patients themselves are increasingly voicing concerns about the quality and accessibility of care.
George Vital Zammit made it to Parliament for the first time on the 12th district in the seat vacated by Alex Borg.
Zammit, an academic, was the candidate behind the compilation of the PN’s election manifesto.
This meant that Charles Azzopardi, who also contested on this district, officially lost his seat in Parliament.
Zammit achieved 1,043 votes from Alex Borg’s quota compared to Azzopardi’s 867 votes. Joseph Grech was a close third with 780 votes.
Vote inheritance initially seemed to favour Azzopardi, but the pendulum swung back to Zammit when Grech was eliminated. He was elected by a margin of 202 votes.
Speaking to the media, Zammit said he is honoured with the trust he has been given by the people on both the twelfth and sixth districts. He thanked his wife, children, and party volunteers who have helped him become a parliamentarian.
Zammit refused to comment on whether he agreed with Alex Borg’s decision to retain his seat in Gozo, in spite of the PN’s typical electoral procedures. The Nationalist Party’s rule of thumb for candidates elected on two districts is that the given candidate must retain the seat on the district they earned the highest vote share, thus setting up a casual election on the other district they were also elected on.
“That explanation was given by the party leader and the PN. I have nothing to add,” Zammit said when asked whether he agrees with Borg’s decision.
Zammit was also asked whether he’d vote against an issue the PN supports if it goes against his principles, now that he’s been elected as a PN MP. He answered that he fully doubts that he will have this issue throughout the legislature, saying that he is “always convinced that the PN will remain on the right side.”
John Baptist Camilleri is another new PN face in Parliament, having been elected on District 3 in the seat vacated by Stephen Spiteri.
He obtained 1,456 votes from Spiteri’s batch of votes, 323 more than next most popular candidate Errol Cutajar.
Vote inheritance meant that the gap narrowed to 118 votes by the final count, but Camilleri had enough to make it to Parliament for the first time having spent many years serving as the PN’s minority leader in Marsascala.
He is the first person from Marsascala to be elected to Parliament.
Ray Gatt was some way adrift in third with 771 votes, followed by Leone Sciberras, who obtained 443.
Camilleri told journalists that he is “very excited” to start working as an MP after 30 years serving his home locality of Marsaskala, where he will now be forced to vacate his role as local council minority leader.
He said that being elected to Parliament felt like the next step for him after three decades serving his hometown, and that he is doubly excited to become the first MP to ever derive from Marsascala.
When asked if he aims to be vocal about any particular issues affecting Marsascala, Camilleri stated that, with his casual election success, he must focus on the entire third district now.
He noted that “there are many issues” affecting District 3, though he mentioned how the population of several southern localities, including Marsascala, “is changing,” citing also Żejtun, Marsaxlokk, and Ħal Għaxaq.
Camilleri said that he will fully commit himself to work for the south of Malta.
“My political life began 30 years ago. I can say that in 30 years, I never got tired, I never got fed up, and I never gave up. I’ve always kept working for citizens’ and residents’ interests, and I will try to spread that same sense of enthusiasm across the entire district,” he said.
The seventh and final casual election saw Graham Bencini winning the seat vacated by Joe Giglio.
Bencini therefore made a return to Parliament, which meant that another MP Albert Buttigieg did not make it through.
Bencini had 802 votes in his name on the first count compared to 708 for Buttigieg, and vote inheritance heavily favoured him to the point that by the final count he had stretched his lead over Buttigieg to 844 votes.
Speaking shortly after being elected to Parliament for the second time, Graham Bencini expressed his gratitude to the voters who placed their trust in him, as well as to the many supporters who stood by him throughout the campaign. He reserved special thanks for his family, describing their support as indispensable to his political journey.
“Without my family, I would not have been able to do all this,” Bencini said, adding that he feels a deep sense of gratitude towards those who contributed to his electoral success.
While satisfied with the result, Bencini stressed that his election also brings with it a renewed responsibility to continue the work he began during his first term in Parliament. He said he is approaching the new legislature with energy and determination to serve the public.
Asked whether he would prefer a particular portfolio, Bencini noted that during the last legislature he was entrusted with responsibilities related to sport, finance, European funds and social security, including pensions, an area he described as being particularly close to his heart. He also served on the Public Accounts Committee.
Despite his experience across several sectors, Bencini said he has no specific preference regarding future responsibilities. “I am here to serve,” he said, adding that he is ready to contribute in areas where his experience can be of value. He emphasised that any decision regarding his role will rest with Opposition Leader Alex Borg , and that he will serve wherever he is asked to.
The casual elections on the Labour side of the House of Representatives were held last Friday.
Once the casual elections were completed, the gender corrective mechanism kicked in, with 12 women added to the list of MPs – six for Labour and six for the PN.
RSS Feed Source: Independent Malta Three new PN candidates elected to Parliament in casual elections; 4 others retain seats