The Nationalist Party has “reprimanded” Emanuel Delia, the head of secretariat in Austin Gatt’s ministry, for representing himself as a prospective candidate in comments he made on Facebook.

“All candidates contesting general elections are approved by the PN Executive Committee,” the PN said in a statement last night. “... Emanuel Delia is not an approved candidate for the general elections.”

Mr Delia, one of the architects of the bus service reform, intends to stand as a general election candidate on the fifth district, the district contested by Franco Debono, who last Friday abstained in a no-confidence vote against Dr Gatt over the public transport reform.

Questioned on PBS last Saturday on whether Mr Delia’s candidacy was a factor, Dr Debono said he had been elected when his district was contested by such stalwarts as Louis Galea and Helen D’Amato and therefore nothing had changed for him with Mr Delia’s candidacy.

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