Social Policy Minister John Dalli has not yet commented on whether he will take the job as Malta's EU Commissioner, but if he does head for Brussels it may pave the way for Speaker Louis Galea to make an unexpected return as an MP.
Mr Dalli was elected on the sixth district - Qormi, Luqa and Siġġiewi along with Clyde Puli. The runner up with 2,856 votes on the 10th count was Dr Galea, who could contest the casual election and take the Social Policy Minister's seat.
If Dr Galea does return to Parliament, the Nationalist Party may be presented with a dilemma.
Since the government only has a one seat majority it would not be desirable for him to continue to sit in the Speaker's chair.
However, sources close to Dr Galea said although it was too early to speculate - since Mr Dalli's position was not yet known - it was unlikely he would give up his position as Speaker "for a place on the back bench".
If Dr Galea opts not to contest the casual election, the next in line is the relatively unknown Peter Micallef (who polled 1,331 votes on the ninth count) or the less likely but more well-known mayor of Siġġiewi Robert Musumeci (who polled 983 votes on the seventh count).
The failure to get elected in 2008 after decades as a leading figure in consecutive Nationalist governments came as a shock to Dr Galea. And he was dealt a further blow when the Prime Minister opted to nominate George Abela as President earlier this year.
However, Dr Galea, a former Education Minister, is still considered to be an effective politician and, more importantly at this juncture, a loyal party man.
Sources within the party said this asset could be the most attractive aspect of having Dr Galea rejoin the Cabinet after an absence of more than a year.
"With all this talk of renegades and disgruntled Nationalists, Lawrence Gonzi would definitively be seeking to replace Mr Dalli with a party man like Dr Galea," one PN source said.
However, it is an open secret that the Prime Minister has other backbenchers, like Sliema's Robert Arrigo, "waiting for their turn" for a Cabinet post.
A source close to the PN said: "I think a move of the sort would need to factor in decisions about (Robert) Arrigo and Beppe (Fenech Adami), for instance. Mr Dalli's nomination as EU Commissioner would be an opportunity but the decisions that follow might also create some turbulence."
Another PN source believes appointing Dr Galea to Cabinet could create problems. "It would open a wound created in the aftermath of the last election when people like Jesmond Mugliett, Ninu Zammit, and so on, were not re-appointed from the Cabinet of the previous legislature.
"This is a purely political decision and has nothing to do with the competence of Dr Galea. We know he is good but the cost would be too great."