The Nationalist Party has failed to nominate a replacement for former St Julian’s mayor Karl Gouder, who vacated his seat in the local council when he was co-opted to Parliament last week in the wake of Albert Fenech’s resignation.
PN vice-mayor Guido Dalli took over as mayor but Mr Gouder’s vacant seat in the local council still needs to be filled by another PN nominee.
The party elected six candidates to the council in last year’s election while the Labour Party elected three.
In a statement yesterday, the Electoral Commission said that no nominations for Mr Gouder’s seat were received by the time of the deadline.
A spokesman for the PN said that the party was currently weighing its options. The PN had three potential candidates who contested the 2015 election who could have submitted their nominations - Anthony Grech, Francis Said and Richard Scicluna.
Contacted yesterday, the acting head of the Electoral Commission George Saliba said there were enquiries from one potential candidate, but no submissions were made. Mr Saliba said the PN would now have the option of co-opting a replacement for Mr Gouder.
Mr Gouder, 36, who already served as an MP between 2010 and 2013 following a co-option, is now in his second stint as a PN MP.
He replaced Professor Fenech as the former MP felt he could no longer keep up with his professional work abroad and his parliament-ary commitments.
Prof. Fenech said that following the government’s decision to no longer use his services as a cardiologist at Mater Dei Hospital, he had to increase his professional load abroad to carry on working.
He has since taken on the post of medical director and head of cardiology in a new private venture by Vitalis Global Healthcare.
The private entity is expected to enter into an agreement with the government for running parts of the national healthcare service.
Describing the current Maltese administration as being run “by an outfit that is totally lacking the capability, the honesty, the transparency, the moral backbone or the plain decency required”, Prof. Fenech said he wanted to give ample time to the party to find his proper replacement in time for the next election, “which will be crucial” for the country.