The Nationalist Party has refused to field Hermann Schiavone for the third consecutive general election after he continued to resist withdrawing an allegation made against rebel MP Franco Debono.
Dr Schiavone, who described himself as a firm believer in party loyalty, said he was prepared to serve the party even in the future
While insisting that there was no allegation which he had to withdraw and that he had not done or said anything wrong, Dr Schiavone said although he felt hurt he accepted the party’s decision.
Dr Schiavone had been forced to withdraw his candidature on the fifth electoral district in the 2003 election after an anonymous letter alleged he was involved in some wrongdoing.
The police had investigated the claims and found no impropriety.
Subsequently, Dr Schiavone had told the Prime Minister’s right-hand man, Edgar Galea Curmi, he suspected the anonymous letter had been sent by Dr Debono, an allegation Dr Debono strongly denied.
The party had said the allegation by Dr Schiavone was unacceptable and did not field him on the party list for the 2008 election.
Dr Schiavone’s wife, Anne, had contested the election instead, garnering more votes than Dr Debono.
Yesterday Dr Schiavone said that in 2009, he had met party leader Lawrence Gonzi who asked him to start working on his electoral district. Three years later, and after he had visited more than half the households in his district, he was yesterday informed that his name had not been approved for inclusion in the list of candidates.
Dr Schiavone, who described himself as a firm believer in party loyalty, said he was prepared to serve the party even in the future.
However, when The Sunday Times asked whether he would continue being active in the party, he replied: “It’s time to move on.”
He, however, clarified that “he had not become a Labourite”.
He specifically thanked former party leader Eddie Fenech Adami for backing him and for his support and his constituents, with whom he was close.
Dr Schiavone said he had not committed any crime but was not being allowed to contest the election because the party was asking something of him which he felt was not acceptable.
Dr Schiavone had already soft-launched his electoral campaign on the fifth electoral district in April last year before being told by his party to stop presenting himself as a PN candidate.