Family doctor Michael Asciak has returned to Parliament after an absence of four years to fill the seat vacated by European Commissioner Tonio Borg.

Dr Asciak was elected during a casual election held yesterday when Dr Borg’s 2008 general election ballot sheets were opened.

Despite the possibility of attending just two Parliamentary sittings should the Government lose Monday’s Budget vote, Dr Asciak said he was there to serve his constituents and his party, “to whom my seat belongs”.

He took his oath of office last night before taking up his parliamentary seat.

Dr Asciak was elected on the third count with 1,930 votes after taking the lead from the beginning, obtaining the largest number of next preference votes.

Contenders Giorgio Schembri and Josianne Cardona Gatt were eliminated after obtaining 274 and 425 votes respectively. Lija mayor Ian Castaldi Paris obtained 507 next preference votes.

When the sorting began at the Naxxar counting hall yesterday morning, lawyer Martin Fenech appeared to gain ground at first but then Dr Asciak started raking in one vote after another until he ended up with 1,617 votes, almost double Dr Fenech’s 842 votes.

He eventually reached the quota of 1,875 votes when Dr Cardona Gatt and Mr Schembri were eliminated.

Speaking to The Times, Dr Asciak said this was the fourth time he had been elected to Parliament and he was determined to continue serving his constituents in the best way possible.

Regarding the possibility of his party having to dissolve Parliament because of actions of one of its own MPs, Dr Asciak insisted that MPs are elected to Parliament on behalf of the Nationalist Party and that this seat therefore belonged to the party.

Dr Asciak served in Parliament between 1996 and 1998 and was re-elected in another casual election held in 2004 to fill the seat vacated by former Prime Minister Eddie Fenech Adami.