Partit Demokratiku leader Marlene Farrugia has been a life member of the Nationalist Party since 1998, she declared today.

Taking the witness stand this afternoon, Dr Farrugia fielded questions regarding her affiliation with the PN as leader of the newly founded PD which contested the June elections on the Nationalist ticket.

She was testifying before a court which had to decide whether to allow the PD act on proceedings filed by the Labour Party, which is challenging the additional two parliamentary seats granted to the PN following the June 3 election on the strength of a constitutional mechanism.

Read: PN's request to join suit challenging additional parliamentary seats award upheld

Dr Farrugia declared that back in 1998 she became a life member of the PN and had served both a candidate as well as a Żebbuġ councillor on the PN ticket. After her break with the Labour Party, she decided to set up the PD so as to give the electorate the chance of voting for another party.

However, her party had last April signed an agreement with the PN in the hope of garnering a majority of votes which could overcome the Labour government. By virtue of this agreement, PD candidates, though identifiable under the nickname of tal-Oranġjo on the ballot sheet, all belonged to the PN list.

All PD candidates were approved by the PN executive, while both parties agreed to consult each other in case any disciplinary issues arose. Dr Farrugia explained that when the new legislature reconvened, she would be subject to the PN whip as indeed, she has been for the past three years ever since she quit the PL and became a member on the opposition benches.

George Saliba, secretary of the Electoral Commission, also confirmed on oath that no list of PD candidates existed. Nor had the PD been asked by the Commission to nominate assistant commissioners or agents for the electoral process. No representative of the PD was asked to attend meetings of the committee for old people's homes and the party had no facilities allocated to it at the Naxxar counting hall.

The case continues.