Popular cardiac surgeon Albert Fenech and former Union Haddiema Maghqudin general secretary Gejtu Vella will be Nationalist candidates in the election.

Their names were included in a list of 10 new candidates approved by the PN executive yesterday.

While three sitting MPs were banned from contesting, the executive also approved a list of 50 previous candidates. All ministers, except Austin Gatt, who had declared he will not contest, are on the list.

Missing are veterans Louis Galea, who holds an EU post, former leadership contender and current EU Commissioner John Dalli, and MPs and former ministers Ninu Zammit and Louis Deguara. Speaker Michael Frendo is not on the list.

The list is not final but the new candidates also include former government IT agency chairman Claudio Grech, Emanuel Delia, head of Dr Gatt’s secretariat, human rights lawyer Therese Comodini Cachia and Siggiewi deputy mayor Ryan Callus.

Family doctor Mario Rizzo Naudi was also approved as a new candidate at the meeting.

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