No nominations were submitted for the casual election to fill the seat vacated by Labour MP Silvio Grixti, which means that his replacement will have to be co-opted to Parliament.

Grixti resigned last week after it emerged that he had been interrogated by financial crimes police over alleged fraudulent medical certificates.

The Electoral Commission had said that the nomination period would close on Friday. It said today that no nominations had been received.

The candidate who had the biggest chance of replacing Grixti in a casual election was Marsascala mayor Mario Calleja. He told The Malta Independent earlier this week that he was still considering whether to contest, adding that he had to first discuss the matter with his family while also considering the fact that his term as mayor still has another six months to go.

Times of Malta reported this week that Prime Minister Abela favoured co-opting Grixti with a person of his choice. It said the PM was considering three candidates – home affairs ministry spokesperson Rebecca Buttigieg, Mosta Mayor Romilda Zarb and lawyer Andy Ellul.