A total of seven nominations have been received by the Electoral Commission for the casual election being held on the seventh district to fill up the seat vacated by Nationalist MP Jean Pierre Debono.

Mr Debono, recently embroiled in a scandal about the way he handled proxy votes during the party's leadership election, has given up his seat to make way for new PN leader Adrian Delia.

But Dr Delia cannot be automatically coopted to Parliament, a casual election has to first take place. He will be co-opted if and when whoever is elected to replace Mr Debono also gives up his seat.

A number of Nationalist candidates sitting for the election have already declared they will give up their seat if elected.

But Marlene Farrugia, the leader of the Partit Demokratiku, whose candidates contested on the PN list, has declared the PD would not be giving any seat to Dr Delia.

However, the PD has acknowledged that it stood no chance of blocking Dr Delia from entering parliament

The nominations submitted are from Sam Abela, Joseph Antoine Borg, Dounia Borg, Lee Bugeja Bartolo (PD), Peter Micallef, David Vassallo and Ian Mario Vassallo.

PD’s Monique Agius has not submitted a nomination to contest the elections.