Clyde Puli to be PN Secretary General, Pierre Portelli to lead media
PN MP Clyde Puli is expected to become the Nationalist Party’s next Secretary General, being the only nominee for the post.
Pierre Portelli, who had also expressed interest in the post, was yesterday appointed as Executive Chairman of Media. link, the PN’s media branch.
Clyde Puli has been an MP since 2003 and has been elected in every election since.
He served as Parliamentary Secretary of Youth and Sport between 2008-2013 under the Gonzi administration, however, he was behind the proposed conversion of the White Rocks Complex into a sports village, which failed to materialise.
MEP David Casa, who had also expressed interest in the post, on Thursday announced he was pulling out of the race. Casa said that, in light of recent events and following discussions with his colleagues and PN Leader Adrian Delia, he was convinced that - now more than ever - it was his duty to keep serving the Party and the country in the European Parliament.
In the meantime, the PN is set to name Mark Anthony Sammut as the president of its executive committee, MP David Stellini as president of its administrative committee, David Camilleri as treasurer and Roselyn Borg as international secretary. All five are running for their respective posts uncontested.
The formal appointments will be announced at the next executive committee meeting on 23 November.
Pierre Portelli
In the meantime the party said Pierre Portelli’s role as Executive Chairman of its media will be formalised in the coming days.
The appointment was announced by the party after a meeting yesterday morning during which PN leader Adrian Delia offered the post to Portelli, which Portelli accepted the PN said.
Delia said that Media. Link has several challenges ahead of it and had approached Portelli to focus on the improvement of the party’s communications machine.
Portelli graduated in communications and has 25 years’ experience in the field. He was a journalist with In-Nazzjon and Il-Mument, and a presenter on Radio 101. He was also head of news of Net TV.
In 2004 he created a production company, Watermelon Media, which had several successes in Maltese television. He was president of the PN administrative committee and was a member on the PN executive between 2009 and 2012.
In 2013 he joined The Malta Independent as director for content and business, a post he resigned earlier this year to return to the PN fold.
He was recently elected as a member on the PN executive.
He is married to Diane and they have three children.
In a Facebook post Portelli said the party was facing big challenged, especially in communication, but he looked forward to the challenge with courage and determination.
New deputy leaders elected tonight
Today marks the end of the four-year deputy leadership of Beppe Fenech Adami and Mario De Marco, with the elections for the two new Deputy Leaders of the Nationalist Party taking place this evening.
MPs David Agius and Edwin Vassallo are contesting for the post of Deputy Leader of Parliamentary Affairs; while the two candidates for the post of PN Deputy Leader for Party Affairs MPs Robert Arrigo and Toni Bezzina.
Voting is open between 8am and 9pm, at the PN Headquarters (Dar Centrali) in Pieta, the party club in Tarxien, and the parking area in front of the trade fair grounds in Naxxar.
In Gozo, voters are required to vote at the party headquarters in Sannat.
The election, like the leadership contest which took place last summer, is open to all paidup members (tesserati).
Early-voting took place last Saturday.