Abela considers co-option to fill Grixti vacancy in third district
Prime Minister Robert Abela is considering co-opting a promising female candidate for parliament to fill the seat of the third constituency vacated by Silvio Grixti rather than go through the random electoral process.
Sources close to the Labor Party said Times of Malta that Abela is looking forward to replacing Grixti with a person of his choice whom the party is supporting before the next general election.
They said that the Prime Minister was also keen to increase the number of women MPs in his parliamentary group.
Among those who came to be mentioned in particular from separate sources with the party was Rebecca Buttigieg, who contested the general election for the first time on the ninth and 10th districts.
Buttigieg, who works in the private secretariat of Interior Minister Byron Camilleri, is being “pushed” by the party machine as the new face of Labor in the traditionally Nationalist districts, sources said.
Other contenders mentioned within party circles are Mosta Mayor Romilda Zarb, an 11th district candidate who had made Abela a relentless candidate during the leadership race last year.
Another possibility for Abela is lawyer Andy Ellul, who had already been mentioned on previous occasions but Abela has always preferred others, sources said.
Ellul was approved as a candidate for the first and third constituencies.
Grixti, a medical doctor, resigned from parliament last week after being questioned by police over an investigation into irregular medical notes of the disease. He was questioned by the police’s financial crime investigation department and was released on police bail, the Times of Malta said.
Sources who know the details of the investigation said that the police are looking for disease notes and other documents that were signed by the doctor and that may have been fraudulent or irregular.
He told his Facebook followers that he had resigned from parliament as his priorities went beyond political life.
“I don’t want to occupy a parliamentary seat at a time when I’m not 100% focused on representing my constituents and my patients,” he said.
The Labor MP was elected for the first time in the 2017 general election on the third district.
The third constituency is said to be one of the most contested Labor candidates, with Chris Fearne and Carmelo Abela already strong, and Owen Bonnici and backbencher Jean Claude Micallef also having a good chance of strengthening. their support through the majority of Grixti’s vote. base.
“The appointment of Clifton Grima as the next Minister of Education to replace Justyne Caruana, who has resigned, was a blow to both the Minister of Social Solidarity Michael Falzon and the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Evarist Bartolo, “said the sources.
“If the Prime Minister chooses Rebecca, he will have a great chance of being elected in the next election with Grima and Falzon being considered the top two in the ninth and 10th districts.”
On the last co-option occasion, Abela nominated the younger candidate Jonathan Attard for a seat in parliament.
The Electoral Commission yesterday began receiving nominations for the random election to fill Grixti’s seat. You will receive nominations by Friday, with a random election scheduled for January 4. If no nominations are submitted, the co-selection route will be selected.
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