Will Franco Debono’s rival be a candidate?

The Nationalist Party has refused to say whether it has changed its stance on Hermann Schiavone, a former general election candidate who was scolded following a dispute with MP Franco Debono.

All issues related to the party will be brought in the right forum

It recently emerged that Dr Schiavone told the Prime Minister’s right hand man Edgar Galea Curmi that Dr Debono was responsible for an anonymous letter in 2003 claiming wrongdoing in his regard. The letter forced Dr Schiavone to withdraw his candidature. Dr Debono raised the issue in the last week of December, when there was still some hope that the PN could patch things up with the infuriated backbencher.

When The Times asked the party for its opinion on Dr Debono’s allegation, the PN accused Dr Schiavone of incorrectly calling himself a PN candidate despite being specifically told not to present himself as one. It also said it was “unacceptable for the Nationalist Party that a serious allegation is made against one of its MPs by a person who then fails to either substantiate the allegation when asked to do so or to withdraw the allegation”.

But Dr Schiavone, who pledged his loyalty to the party nonetheless and said he would continue carrying out house visits on the PN’s behalf, was last Sunday sitting in the front row of the PN’s Marsaxlokk activity, suggesting that the party was welcoming him back as a candidate.

When contacted yesterday, he said there had been no new developments and he was simply waiting for approval to contest the upcoming election. Dr Debono has described the incident involving Dr Schiavone as one that caused him “untold harm” even healthwise.

The Times asked the PN whether Dr Schiavone was still being told not to represent himself as a PN candidate but the party said: “The party has nothing more to add on previous statements, and all issues related to the party will be brought in the right forum, in this case the Executive Committee.”

Neither did the PN say whether it still considered Dr Debono to be one of its MPs or whether it has accepted Dr Debono’s latest resignation.