Updated Tuesday 9am

The parliamentary prospects of Nationalist candidates David Thake and Ivan Bartolo have been dashed after the party executive opted against casual elections where the two candidates were listed. 

The casual elections will be held in the 7th, 10th, 11th and 13th districts after PN MPs who were elected from two districts gave up their seats there.   

In a brief statement, the PN said that its executive committee had decided, by secret vote, to vacate seats in the aforementioned districts.

In casual elections, the votes of the MPs who give up their seats will be recounted on the basis of the second preference given to other candidates.

Simon Busuttil and David Agius will both vacate 11th district seats.

PN leader Simon Busuttil will drop his seat in the 11th district, as will David Agius, who was also elected in two districts. Ivan Bartolo (the Mosta councillor) and Alex Perici Calascione will be hopeful of their chances to grab the two vacated seats. 

The party's deputy leader Beppe Fenech Adami will hold on to his 8th district seat and will instead vacate his seat in the 7th district, with Antoine Borg best poised to take advantage and win a seat.  

He will, however, face competition from Sam Abela, Godfrey Farrugia, David Vassallo and Peter Micallef.

Marthese Portelli and Beppe Fenech Adami will vacate their 13th and 7th district seats respectively.

Robert Arrigo will vacate his 10th district seat, ensuring fellow PN veteran George Pullicino remains in the running for a parliamentary seat.  The onetime minister will compete with newcomer Nick Refalo and Graziella Attard Previ for the seat. 

Marthese Portelli will drop her 13th district seat, with lawyer Kevin Cutajar hoping the decision will send him into parliament for the first time.  David Stellini is also in the running for the seat. 

The PN executive council's decision to have Dr Busuttil keep his 12th district seat and Dr Fenech Adami remain as an 8th district MP means David Thake is out of the running. 

The Radio 101 presenter's hopes for a parliamentary seat had already been raised - and then dashed - when fellow 8th district candidate Therese Comodini Cachia announced she would be renouncing her seat, only for her to change her mind a few days later following a voter backlash.

The PN's decision also eliminates another person seen as a potential rising star, Ivan Bartolo, known as the director of Inox/6pm.

"Politics is no longer on my radar," Mr Bartolo said in one of two Facebook posts (See below).

Later he wrote: “I thank all those voters who believed in a fresh look, in a new beginning, and in new, progressive positive ideas.”

.