He led the charge for the introduction of divorce but Nationalist Party backbencher Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando has decided to lay down his arms.

“It is the first time I will be giving myself a birthday present”- Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando

The dentist from Żebbuġ, who has been labelled a rebel for openly criticising some decisions taken by his own government, will not be contesting the next election.

“It is the first time I will be giving myself a birthday present,” Dr Pullicino Orlando said when contacted yesterday. A father of three, the MP will turn 48 tomorrow.

He recently obtained a divorce after being separated for a long time from his wife and Labour MP Marlene Farrugia.

“I have discussed the decision with my family and I will not be changing my mind,” he said.

Before the 2003 election, the MP had also hinted at his withdrawal from politics only to change his mind some time later. Dr Pullicino Orlando, who has been elected to Parliament in every election since 1996, was asked about his political future during a press conference that wrapped up the cross-party pro-divorce movement yesterday.

“I have discussed the issue with my family and we feel that I have given enough of my time and energy to this role, which has not been an easy one to fill,” he said in a statement after the event.

He did not elaborate on the reasons for his decision but, when asked, Dr Pullicino Orlando said he had been mulling the idea for “quite some time”. According to the MP, Prime Minister and PN leader Lawrence Gonzi tried to dissuade him from taking the decision but he insisted that 20 years in politics was more than enough.

Elected strongly from two districts after ending up in the eye of a storm over a controversial disco project in Mistra on the even of the last election, Dr Pullicino Orlando said he would retain his seat in Parliament until the end of the legislature and thanked his constituents for their “unwavering support”.