Tourism Minister Mario de Marco admits in an interview with The Sunday Times today that he had reservations about the Nationalist Party’s deputy leader election in view of a looming general election.

“I thought at this point in time it was more important for the party to focus on the general election than to have the organs of the party concentrating on an internal election,” he says.

It was also more important for MPs to convince people on the importance of voting for the Nationalist Party than going around trying to lobby Nationalist councillors to vote Simon Busuttil or Tonio Fenech.

Dr de Marco, who had been touted as a potential frontrunner for a top party post, says nevertheless the election still presents the party with an opportunity to regenerate the PN.