Forty-six candidates yesterday handed in their nominations for the general election on April 12 at the Electoral Office in Valletta.
The office started accepting nominations yesterday and the candidates have until tomorrow at 7 p.m. to submit, the Electoral Commission said.
Twenty-four PN candidates submitted their nominations, 20 were from the MLP, one was an independent, and one from Ghal Gid ta' Ghawdex.
The PN has not yet announced its number of candidates, the MLP has approved 78 and Alternattiva Demokratika has 14.
The candidates nominated in the 13 districts are:
District 1
PN: Edward Torpiano, Mario Tabone Vassallo
MLP: John Buttigieg, Alfred Grixti
District 2
PN: Francis Agius, Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici
MLP: Rita Law
District 3
PN: Francis Agius
MLP: Owen Bonnici, Joseph Abela
Independent: Nazareno Bonnici
District 4
PN: Jason Azzopardi
MLP: Lawrence Bonavia
District 5
MLP: Ancel Farrugia Migneco
District 6
MLP: Roderick Galdes, John Attard Montalto
District 7
PN: Michael Bonnici, Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando
MLP: Doreen Attard Montalto
District 8
PN: Antonio Fenech, John Zammit Montebello, Michael Asciak
MLP: John Buttigieg
District 9
PN: Joseph Falzon, Francis Zammit Dimech
MLP: Leo Brincat, Keith Patrick Grech, Alfred Grixti
District 10
PN: Francis Zammit Dimech
MLP: Leo Brincat
District 11
PN: Anthony Abela, Louis Deguara, Mario Tabone Vassallo, Nazju Cassar, Philip Borg, Joseph Cassar
MLP: Charles Azzopardi, Anthony Agius Decelis, Emanuel K/A Noel Farrugia
District 12
PN: Louis Deguara, Anthony Abela, Michael Asciak
MLP: Emanuel K/A Noel Farrugia, Keith Patrick Grech
District 13
MLP: Anthony Refalo
Ghal Gid ta' Ghawdex: Victor Zammit
The first candidate to submit his nomination was Edward Torpiano (PN) in the first district.
Among the PN candidates is the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Anton Tabone, and President Guido de Marco's son, lawyer Mario de Marco, who is contesting the election for the first time, on the first district.
Mr Tabone, 65, is the longest serving MP and was first elected from Gozo in 1966.
Parliamentary Secretary Antoine Mifsud Bonnici's daughter, Paula, is also accompanying him on the hustings.
Nationalist MP Claude Muscat is the only member of the PN parliamentary group not to be contesting the coming election, while the Labour parliamentary group also has one absentee, former parliamentary secretary Joe Cilia.
Both Mr Muscat and Notary Cilia said they had decided not to stand for election to dedicate more time to their families and professions.
Among the new faces contesting the election on April 12 is Victor Scerri, president of the national council of the Nationalist Party, and Alfred Mifsud, former chairman of the Labour Party's broadcasting media.
Former Speaker of the House, notary Myriam Spiteri Debono, is expected to contest the election as a Labour candidate.
Of the 76 MLP candidates, 28 are contesting two districts. Ten of them are women. The youngest candidate is 22-year-old Owen Bonnici, who has already made a name for himself in journalism.
Former minister Reno Calleja and Michael Zammit have been added to the list approved by the MLP extraordinary general conference.