Adrian Delia’s road to a parliamentary seat may be more arduous than most of his supporters thought it would be.

The clearest way for him to get into Parliament would be if any one of the five Nationalist Party MPs elected in a casual election were to resign their seat.

If that happens, the law states that the vacated seat would have to be filled by co-option, which means the onus would fall on the PN’s executive to catapult Dr Delia into Parliament.

However, one of the five PN MPs elected through a casual election is Godfrey Farrugia, who now sits in Parliament as a Democratic Party MP and is effectively out of the PN’s control.

This reduces the options to four names: PN administrative president Karol Aquilina, former Naxxar mayor Maria Deguara, former Mosta mayor Ivan Bartolo and former European People’s Party staffer David Stellini.

However, all four MPs yesterday ruled out giving up their seat so that the PN chief could make it to Parliament and sworn in as Opposition leader.

Dr Deguara, who was mentioned persistently as the most likely to resign, yesterday stood by past statements that she had no such intention.

READ: Six challenges Delia will face as PN leader

She vehemently denied holding meetings with Dr Delia, despite information to the contrary that reached the Times of Malta.

Dr Deguara, the wife of former PN health minister Louis Deg-uara, was elected to Parliament for the first time through a casual election in the 11th district.

Mr Bartolo, who is also enjoying his first stint as an MP, similarly ruled out the possibility. “I definitely have no intention of giving up my seat and have not been approached to do so,” the 11th district MP said.

Mr Stellini, another first-time MP after returning to Malta from Brussels, also shut the door on the possibility.

“Not at all, since I feel the seat is not mine but lent to me by my constituents,” he said when asked whether he was willing to resign.

Mr Stellini was elected in the Gozo district to fill the seat vac-ated by Marthese Portelli, who was elected on two districts.

READ: Delia insists co-option to parliament will not be an issue

Dr Aquilina, whose Facebook comment on freemasonry in the run-up to the leadership election was interpreted as a reference to Dr Delia’s bid, replied with a categorical “No.”

The PN administrative council president is also on his first stint as an MP after making it through a casual election on the 10th district. With Dr Delia insisting that talks are under way for an agreement to be reached on his co-option to Parliament, it remains unclear with whom the discussions are taking place.

Unless one of the four MPs elected through a casual election is hiding the truth, this leaves Dr Delia with a riskier route to Parliament. The PN leader may have MPs within the party fold willing to give up their seat – Gozitan MP Frederick Azzopardi yesterday said he was willing to be of service to the party – but their resignation would automatically trigger a casual election.

Dr Delia cannot contest a casual election, because he was not even a candidate in the last election.

His option would be to convince all unelected PN candidates on the district where the seat would be given up not to contest the casual election, allowing the PN to co-opt someone instead.

But while Dr Delia may convince all unelected PN candidates to refrain from contesting the casual election, he will still have to contend with the PD candidates who ran under the PN flag.

This is an added complication, unless he convinces the PD not to contest an eventual casual election. However, the PD is unlikely to do Dr Delia any favours, with departing leader Marlene Farrugia telling this newspaper she was not for turning.

“We have not been approached, and if we are, my instructions to our candidates will be to hold our ground for the good of the country,” Dr Farrugia replied when asked whether the PD will play ball and instruct its candidates not to contest a casual election if Dr Delia’s only gateway to Parliament came to this.

With Parliament slated to open on October 1 and the Budget expected a week later, Dr Delia’s route to Parliament is a race against time.

He would want to enter Parliament and take up the mantle of Opposition leader in time to deliver his reaction to the Budget.

kurt.sansone@timesofmalta.com

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