PN approves more MEP candidates

Medical entrepreneur Frank Portelli and lawyer Marthese Portelli were yesterday approved by the Nationalist Party's executive as MEP candidates, bringing the total number of PN candidates up to 10.

Dr Portelli, a former parliamentarian and former president of the PN, was important in drawing in disgruntled Nationalists in the past general election, following a rapprochement with the party in the months prior to the poll.

In the last legislature, Dr Portelli, who is also the director of St Philip's Hospital, had been openly critical of certain government decisions, particularly about the way things were done at Mater Dei Hospital.

Dr Portelli is a 32-year-old lawyer from Gozo who specialises in IT and commercial law and works as a business development executive.

This year she was elected president of the PN executive committee, becoming the first woman to occupy the post. She had also been approached to run for the post of general secretary but had declared that she was not interested.

A Gozitan local councillor, she unsuccessfully contested the last general election on the 13th district.

The other PN candidates are Simon Busuttil, David Casa, Rudolph Cini, Alan Deidun, Edward Demicoli, Vince Farrugia, Roberta Metsola Tedesco Triccas and Alex Perici Calascione.