PN leader Bernard Grech to contest 5th and 11th districts

Opposition and Nationalist Party Leader Bernard Grech will be contesting in his first general election on the 5th and 11th electoral districts.

Times of Malta revealed that the districts where the new PN leader will be contesting were decided by the Nationalist Party on Wednesday evening.

The fifth district includes Birżebbuga, Kirkop, Mqabba, Ħal Farruġ (Ħal Luqa), Qrendi, Safi and Bubaqra (Żurrieq). The 11th district includes Mdina, Attard, Mosta and Burmarrad (St Paul’s Bay).

MPs Toni Bezzina and Hermann Schiavone have been elected by the PN from the fifth district and MPs David Agius, Ivan Bartolo, Maria Deguara and Edwin Vassallo were elected from the 11th district.

Traditionally, the fifth district is predominantly Labour. In the last general election, the Labour Party won more than 65.7% of the vote against the 33.2% of the PN. This resulted in an 8,000 vote deficit.

On the other hand, the 11th district is considered a ‘ PN stronghold’ as the party gained 55.2% of the vote against the Labour Party’s 43%. This resulted in a difference of 3,000 votes. This district was previously contested by former PN Leader Simon Busuttil.

Meanwhile, the Nationalist party’s executive committee also approved lawyer Joe Giglio as a candidate on the 9th and 10th electoral district, Mark Anthony Sammut as a candidate on the 4th and 10th districts, Alex Perici Calascione on the 8th and 11th districts and Jerome Caruana Cilia on the 6th district.

The Nationalist Party has likewise approved Angela Coleiro as Malta’s first trans woman to contest a general election on the 9th and 10th districts.