One in every three Nationalist Party members did not collect the voting document for today’s deputy leader elections, which brings to a close the renewal process following last June’s general election defeat.

David Agius and Edwin Vassallo are vying for the post of deputy leader for parliamentary affairs while Robert Arrigo and Toni Bezzina are the two candidates for the other post for party affairs.

According to official data furnished to Times of Malta by the PN’s electoral commission, 11,546 individuals collected the voting document out of about 18,000 card-carrying members.

This number, which includes 2,498 members who cast their ballot in last Saturday’s early voting, represents 64 per cent of the members.

Compared to the number of members who had collected the voting document in last September’s leadership election, the number is significantly lower. Then, 15,501 members had collected the document, meaning a participation rate of 86 per cent.

Voting will take place between 8am and 9pm at the party headquarters in Pietà, the PN club in Tarxien and a specially set up polling booth outside the former Trade Fair Grounds, in Naxxar. In Gozo, voting will close at 7.30pm and will take place at the Ta’ Sannat sub-headquarters.

Mr Portelli was handpicked by Dr Delia to head the PN’s media company

Meanwhile, the rest of the line-up of the party’s administration is now complete, with MP Clyde Puli becoming the new general secretary. Mr Puli who was part of Dr Delia’s strategy team in the leadership campaign, succeeds Rosette Thake.

All administration posts were only contested by a single candidate, meaning they will be automatically elected in the next executive committee meeting scheduled for Thursday.

Edwin Vassallo

Mr Puli’s election took many by surprise since former The Malta Independent content editor Pierre Portelli was being strongly mentioned as the probably candidate.

This was especially the case following the announcement by MEP David Casa that he was withdrawing from the race.

Instead, Mr Portelli, was handpicked by Dr Delia to head the PN’s media company comprising Net Television, Radio 101 and its newspapers.

In a statement, the PN said Mr Portelli, a former head of news of the party’s media would be severing his links with Watermelon Media, which he had founded in 2004.

Mark Anthony Sammut, a general election candidate on the fourth district and a Gudja local council member, is the new executive committee president.

He succeeds Ann Fenech.

David Agius

The new line-up includes Gozitan MP David Stellini, who succeeds MP Karol Aquilina as president of the administrative council, which comprises the heads of all party organs. Another new face in the party administration is general election candidate Roselyn Borg, who succeeds Trevor Degiorgio as international secretary.

The post of treasurer was filled by David Camilleri, who succeeds Alex Perici Calascione.