Nationalist Party international secretary Roselyn Borg Knight has withdrawn her candidacy for the upcoming election, party sources said.

It is understood that Borg Knight communicated her decision to party officials earlier in the week. Borg Knight was to contest on the ninth and 10th district. She had contested the same districts in 2017, and had also been on the list of PN candidates for the 2019 European Parliament elections.

Borg Knight was the only official from the Adrian Delia administration to retain her position after the change of leadership in 2020. Professional and career reasons are cited as being behind her decision to withdraw.

However, party sources have acknowledged that a number of candidates and officials have become increasingly uncomfortable within a PN seemingly set on suppressing liberal thoughts. The unease within the party was aggravated when it transpired that an ambiguous PN position on cannabis was not discussed by its executive committee before the party issued a statement criticising the proposals.

Borg Knight, an employment and industrial relations lawyer, is expected to stay on as the party’s international secretary for the time being, but party sources have identified potential candidates who have privately expressed interest in the role.