Former Labour media journalist Julia Farrugia Portelli will be contesting the general election on the Labour Party ticket.
Mrs Farrugia Portelli announced on Facebook that she will be running for election on the 5th district.
She said that she was responding to a genuine call from many people to contest. “For 20 years I was your voice through my pen. Today I can no longer write in the newspapers because I am serving in a post entrusted to me by Minister Konrad Mizzi.
During these past four years Dr Joseph Muscat asked me to contest on the 5th district nine times – the first time when my daughter was only four months old. This time the request also comes from you. I discussed this at length with my family. This week was not an easy one,” she wrote.
“I understand you because many are hurt. I am one of you because like you I come from the fifth district.”
Mrs Julia Portelli said her campaign would be a simple one and she would not be promising feebies. The only thing she is promising her constituents is to be their voice.
Julia Farrugia Portelli worked as a journalist with the PL newsroom and hosted a number of current affairs programmes before moving on to MaltaToday and eventually becoming editor of Illum.
After 2013 she was given the post of communications coordinator at Projects Malta, which falls under no-portfolio minister Konrad Mizzi. She is also an advisor to Gozo Minister Anton Refalo.