Franco Debono has said that he will not be contesting the next general election as a candidate, days after PN leader Bernard Grech left the door open for the former MP to return to the political scene.

Grech had said last week that he would not exclude any candidature when he was asked about whether he would be open to having Franco Debono back on the party’s ticket.

In a statement on his Facebook profile, Debono said that Grech’s declaration had resulted in a lot of positive reactions, showing the support he has both publicly and privately across the country.

He said that the declaration was a nice surprise to him and thanked Grech.

“It’s not my style to hurry into declarations, and so after a number of days of reflection I feel that I should exclude this possibility [of being a candidate] in the current circumstances.  I do not feel that it is the moment to take this step,” Debono wrote.

He said that he was taking such a decision with full respect towards the many people who in recent days had communicated with him, encouraging him to contest and promising him their full support. He added that he had heard and read every message, and that he was sincerely surprised with the wave of support.

Debono said that while he would not contest as a candidate, he could not exclude participating “in a more active manner” in the future.

Debono famously broke ranks with the PN when he voted with the Labour opposition against the government budget in 2012. Since then, Debono has hinted that he wishes to re-join the party, although any such renewed association with the PN remains a matter of hot debate with party supporters.