Decisions on which seats are to be vacated by Nationalist Party candidates elected in two districts should no longer be taken by the party, but through a mechanism based on who is next in line to make it to Parliament.
PN candidate David Thake floated this idea yesterday when this newspaper sought his reaction to the criticism fuelled by the executive committee’s decision on the districts where casual elections are to be held.
In a three-hour meeting held on Monday evening, the committee opted for the 7th, 10th, 11th and 13th districts. In each case the decision was determined by a secret vote, the outcome of which was very close, sources said.
Consequently, popular Radio 101 talk show presenter Thake, as well as 6pm founder and businessman Ivan Bartolo, who was also being touted as an outsider for the PN leadership, are out of the running.
The decision on seats rekindled the age-old debate on the merits of this system, with many aggrieved PN supporters venting their frustration that this was a way to circumvent the people’s wishes in the interests of the party establishment.
Contacted by the Times of Malta, Mr Thake, who missed out on two potential casual elections on the 8th and 12th districts, said this did not mean that he would bow out of politics.
“I stand by my principles and I will keep working to defend the interests of those who voted to me, my family and the country”.
I stand by my principles and I will keep working to defend the interests of those who voted to me, my family and the country- Thake
However, he said that he would no longer be presenting any programmes on Radio 101, though he did not exclude moving to another radio station.
Asked for his views about the casual election debate, Mr Thake said it was time to consider a mechanism, whereby the vacated seats would be determined according to those candidates next in line to be elected.
“I have no idea whether with such a mechanism in place, I would have stood a chance, but at least this would eliminate speculation surrounding the executive committee’s intention behind their decision.”
“While this would not guarantee that the candidates next in line would be elected, it would nevertheless be a fairer decision”, he added.
This newspaper also spoke to Mr Bartolo, whose brief political career seems to be over, unless he is “inspired” to make a comeback when the new party leadership is installed.
Touted as one of the best newcomers on the PN list of candidates, Mr Bartolo obtained a very respectable 1,204 first-count votes on the ninth district and was only eliminated on the 28th count.
His performance even prompted Democratic Party leader Marlene Farrugia to consider him to be a “serious” contender for the leadership.
In a short Facebook post, Mr Bartolo said that his “short career in politics” had come to an end but insisted to the Times of Malta that his decision had nothing to do with the outcome of his own candidature.
Referring to an interview given a few weeks ago, he said that he would bow out if Simon Busuttil resigned. However, Mr Bartolo did leave the door slightly ajar, saying that he might reconsider his decision and lend a hand if the future PN leader was as inspiring as Dr Busuttil.