Former Nationalist minister Jason Azzopardi is gunning for the post of party deputy leader, he confirmed yesterday.

I am treading with caution... contesting a post is a huge responsibility

Dr Azzopardi, 41, said that his track record across four legislatures as a serving MP and “unblemished reputation” would all stand him in good stead in an eventual contest.

He, however, insisted that he was still weighing his options.

“I am treading with caution... contesting a post is a huge responsibility and not something one does to prove oneself or to settle a score. I will continue to meet councillors and see if and where I can be of better service,” he said.

The former competition minister said he was particularly interested in the deputy leadership, “even if several have urged me to go for the post of leader”.

“My polar star is my sense of loyalty and duty,” Dr Azzopardi said as he argued that the PN was greater than any of its individual members. And his years of political experience had taught him to guard against foolhardiness, he added.

A new PN deputy leader will be elected on May 25, three weeks after the party’s leadership race, scheduled for May 4. Incoming MP and former TV host Claudette Buttigieg has already said she intends running for the post.

Dr Azzopardi was first elected to Parliament in 1998, aged 27, and has been re-elected in each successive election. He was appointed parliamentary secretary for revenues and lands in 2008 and was subsequently promoted to Cabinet in January 2012, when he became competition and consumer minister.