The PN is presenting 12 candidates in this district which normally returns three PN MPs. In 2008 Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi along with Dolores Cristina and Robert Arrigo were the ones to be elected.

While Mr Arrigo is once again on the list of candidates, Mrs Cristina is retiring from politics at the end of this legislature while Dr Gonzi will be contesting the seventh district rather than the ninth.

Another notable absentee on the PN’s list is Michael Frendo, currently serving as speaker of the House of Representatives, who will bow out of politics in a few weeks time. His decision to become speaker in 2010, led to the unexpected decision to co-opt Karl Gouder in parliament. In this case this was not determined by a casual election but directly by the PN executive committee since Dr Frendo had been elected in a casual election.

Donald Felice, Pippo Psaila, John Rizzo Naudi and Georg Sapiano are the other names missing from the 2008 list of candidates.

On the other hand PN deputy leader Simon Busuttil who is contesting for the first time is the party heavyweight  in the absence of Dr Gonzi and is thus expected to be the front runner.

Joanna Agius and  Kristy Debono (wife of PN assistant secretary general Jean Pierre Debono who was discouraged to contest by the party leadership to focus on his duties) are the other new candidates.

The third female candidate is Marthese Portelli, president of the PN executive committee, who will be contesting for the second time running.

George Pullicino and Francis Zammit Dimech, two cabinet members in the current administration are also in the running, along with Joe Falzon who was elected in the casual election to fill the seat vacated by Robert Arrigo who in 2008 kept the seat won in tenth district. Franco Galea, Noel Muscat and Charles Selvaggi complete the PN line-up.

While Dr Busuttil might be the front runner, the race for the other two seats is expected to be a very close one, with the real possibility of  established MPs not making the cut.

 

2008

2013

 

 

 

AGIUS JOANNA

Arrigo Robert (535E)

Arrigo Robert

 

BUSUTTIL SIMON

CRISTINA DOLORES (415E)

 

 

DEBONO KRISTY

Falzon Joseph (126)

Falzon Joseph

FELICE DONALD (23)

 

FRENDO MICHAEL (278)

 

Galea Franco (49)

Galea Franco

Gonzi Lawrence (10,901E)**

 

Gouder Karl (71)

Gouder Karl

Muscat Noel (75)

Muscat Noel

 

Portelli Marthese*

PSAILA PIPPO (90)

 

Pullicino George (297)

Pullicino George

RIZZO NAUDI JOHN M (109)

 

SAPIANO GEORG (58)

 

Selvaggi Charles (83)

Selvaggi Charles

Zammit Dimech Francis (278)

Zammit Dimech Francis

 

 

*Did not contested this district in 2008

**Contesting another district in 2013

Names in caps (left) denote candidates not contesting in 2013

Names in caps (right) denote new candidates

Names in bold and italics denote MPs

(Number) indicates first count votes obtained in 2008