PN MP Hermann Schiavone posted on Facebook that he has already offered to give up his seat for PN Leader Adrian Delia to be allowed in Parliament, however did highlight a potential problem.

Schiavone said that nobody is exerting any pressure on him, however noted that if he does relinquish his seat, a casual election would need to take place.

"I always believed that the 5^th district constituents lent me the seat, and it is not mine but belongs to the PN. I have no problem giving it back to the party so that the leader would be co-opted instead of me. In my particular case however, the route for the Leader to enter Parliament does not solely depend on me, but also on the other candidates not elected in the district who would also need to be ready to give up the seat in the case that they would be elected instead of me in a casual election."

On the fifth district, the battle for the final seat was fought between Schiavone and Norman Vella (with Schiavone coming out victorious). This newsroom has contacted  Vella asking if he would contest a casual election.  The 2^nd runner up from the PN candidates was Stanley Zammit.

The strongest PD candidate who contested the fifth district was Marlene Farrugia, who was elected from another district.

Norman Vella, speaking with this newsroom, said he "does not discuss hypothetical questions and/or situations," despite being told about what Schiavone had said in his post.

Noel Galea, who contested on the same district as Schiavone and did not do well in the election, has backed Schiavone, stating that he will not submit his nomination if Schiavone resigns his seat. Mary Grace Vella, another candidate on the fifth, said that she will not contest a casual election if an MP on her district gives up their seat for Delia.

Last Wednesday this newsroom contacted Gozitan PN MP Frederick Azzopardi from the 13^th district who was non-committal on whether or not he would give up his seat in Parliament for Delia, however did indicate that he has always been loyal to whoever is leader of the PN. "I was always loyal to the leader and always moved according to the line set by the leader, under Eddie Fenech Adami, Lawrence Gonzi and Simon Busuttil. I will move according to the lines and needs of the party." He added that he has not really considered what he would do if asked, as he had, at that time, not been asked to give up his seat.

The two PN candidate frontrunners on the 13^th district are Kevin Cutajar and Ryan Mercieca.

Mercieca has already publicly declared on Facebook that he won't be an obstacle for Delia entering Parliament. He said that his loyalty is to the party, and believes that neither him, nor any of the other candidates should be an obstacle. This newsroom has also contacted Kevin Cutajar however we are still waiting for a reply on what position he will take.

Former PN Minister Censu Galea and candidate Joe Ellis who both contested on the 13^th district together with Azzopardi have not yet declared what their position will be. Asked if he would contest a casual election if Frederick Azzopardi were to give up his seat, Galea said "If it happens I will then have to decide. It will depend on many factors. If candidates of the other parties contest then it would be useless for me not to contest. All candidates can contest and the real difficulty would be the PD candidate. PL candidates can contest but it's traditionally not done and they would have near to no possibility of being elected." He said that nobody has spoken to him about this situation. "My first reaction would be to contest all the bi-elections in the districts which I contested but then." He said that this does not have anything to do with him having backed Chris Said during the PN leadership election, stating its his personal decision at the end of the day. Galea and Ellis gave their support to Chris Said during the PN leadership election.

Recently, a number of MPs who were elected through a casual election (as if one of them were to resign Delia would then be able to be co-opted) have said no the idea. Reports have read that Maria Deguara, Ivan Bartolo, Karol Aquilina and David Stellini are such MPs who have said no. Godfrey Farrugia was also elected through a casual election.

Another strong possibility would be for PN MP Jean Pierre Debono, who is a close supporter of Delia, to relinquish his Parliamentary seat. If this were to happen, the two PN candidates on the 7^th district with the most votes who were not elected are Antoine Borg and Sam Abela. The strongest PD candidate on this district, Godfrey Farrugia, was already elected. Borg has declared that in a scenario where PD candidates would contest every casual election, there would be no other choice but for me to do the same..." He went on to say that if he is then elected, he would resign as an MP to reflect the wishes of the original MP's decision, for Delia to be in Parliament as Leader of the Opposition. "It is true that the seat would have come from the people, but I would not inherit a seat if there was no resignation with a clear intention, which must be respected."

Sam Abela said that as a PN candidate he would do all that is required so that Adrian Delia takes a seat in Parliament. He pledged his allegiance to Delia, and is ready to do what is needed and asked of him by Delia and by the PN in the case of a casual election on his district.

A number of other PN general election candidates have declared their willingness to give up a seat should they be elected through a casual election, or not contest at all, however the significance of their offer varies depending on the individual situation. Some, for example, did not gain many votes during the general election, while others are in districts with very well established MPs.

Justin Schembri, a candidate on the 8^th district said that if an MP resigns his seat so that Delia may take up a seat in Parliament, he will not contest. On this district however, the PN candidate who came closest to election was David Thake, and not Schembri. Schembri also contested the 1^st district.

Alan Abela Wadge, who contested o the 9^th and 10^th districts, said that he will not contest if an MP on his district gives up their seat. On both districts, Wadge was not one of the frontrunners.

Evelyn Vella Brincat, one of the weakest candidates on the 9^th and 10^th districts, has also said that she will not contest if an MP from her district resigns for Delia.

Roselyn Borg Knight, who contested the 9^th and 10^th districts, has expressed herself on the seat issue, stating that if a seat on her district is freed up for Delia, she will not contest. She also said that she is ready to contest it and if she wins, give up her seat for the leader.

The 9^th and 10^th districts have the following elected Opposition MPs - Marlene Farrugia, Karl Gouder, Robert Arrigo, Karol Aquilina, Kristy Debono and Marthese Portelli. The main contender on the 9^th district in the case of a casual election, would be Ivan Bartolo, and on the 10^th would be George Pullicino.

Errol Cutajar, who contested on the 2^nd district,  said she will not contest. On this district, Cutajar did not gain many votes and only PN MP Stephen Spiteri was elected in this district. Josie Muscat was the runner up. Cutajar also contested on the third district, where Mario Rizzo Naudi and Amanda Abela look to have the most votes (aside from MPs who are elected from this district, or were elected from other districts).

Alex Mangion, who contested on the 11^th district, said he would be willing to do all that is necessary for the PN Leader to take a Parliamentary seat should one be vacated in his district.

Mark Anthony Sammut, a candidate from the 4^th district, said he would be willing not to contest or resign if elected so that Delia can be co-opted into Parliament. He was one of the frontrunners for the PN seat in this district, however PN MP Jason Azzopardi holds this Parliamentary seat, and the MP is not on the best of terms with the PN leader.