St Julian’s mayor Albert Buttigieg has been elected to Parliament, filling the seat vacated by former PN deputy leader Robert Arrigo who died last week.

The casual election was held today in Naxxar, with Buttigieg facing off against Emma Portelli Bonnici.

Buttigieg obtained 2,122 votes against Portelli Bonnici's 1,151.

In his first comments after being elected, Buttigieg commemorated the memory of Robert Arrigo, who passed away last week, and described filling the void in Parliament left by the former PN deputy leader as a “big responsibility.”

He said that he wanted to keep Arrigo’s legacy of being close to the people going alive.

“When I was mayor I always tried to be close to the people and their issues so I hope that together with my colleagues and the PN leader to continue being the voice of what is right, of the truth, and to be a servant to the common good,” he said. 

“Politics isn’t about me or you, it’s about all of us and it is there to strengthen the common good.”

Asked whether he was asked by anyone within the PN not to contest the casual election, Buttigieg said that he was looking forward not back.

“I can put your mind at rest that nobody put pressure on me, and I am here today to continue respecting the democratic process,” he said.

It had been rumoured that the PN was seeking to co-opt its deputy leader Alex Perici Calascione into Parliament, but for that to happen it would have meant that nobody would have to contest the casual election for Arrigo’s seat.

Likewise when he was asked how he would find sitting next to colleagues who, he had said, put spokes in the wheels during the electoral campaign, Buttigieg said “we have two eyes to look forward, not back.”

“If you look at my past there are difficult moments but I didn’t constrain myself in the past and I always looked to the future.  I augur that this spirit of looking forward can create a politics which serves the common good,” he said.

Asked whether fighting so-called “fat cats” - a term Buttigieg himself had used when he claimed that these “fat cat” developers had petitioned officials within the party to ensure that he was not elected – over the issue of over-development would remain one of his priorities now that he is in parliament, Buttigieg said that his three fundamental values are the environment, inclusion and social justice.

“This is a journey I’ve been undertaking for a number of years, and those are my priorities: the environment – and not just in construction in the wider sense through issues such as climate change; inclusion – so nobody feels like they are left behind; and in social justice.  I think those are the three values which have always marked my life, and I intend to keep having them do so,” he said.

Buttigieg, who will now have to resign his seat as St Julian's mayor, will represent the 10th electoral district in Parliament. 

In her first comments on social media after losing the casual election, Portelli Bonnici admitted that the casual election was a “long shot” and that while she did not want to lose, it was a result which she expected.

“I wish Albert Buttigieg all the luck in his new role - we have more in common than one might think,” she said.

“I'm glad I took the step to submit my nomination for these casual elections, as it helped build some bridges between myself and Partit Nazzjonalista as well as with the electorate. As always, I remain available to the party and to anyone who might wish to reach out,” she added.

Portelli Bonnici had previously spoken about how she had been completely sidelined by the party after she failed to get elected in the 2022 general election.

 

“As originally promised, I'm just getting started,” she concluded.