PN executive election under way today, 59 contenders, 18 posts

The election for the Nationalist Party executive, which sees 59 contenders vie for 18 posts, is taking place today. Nine men and nine women will be elected.

Amongst the candidates are former MP Josie Muscat, St James Hospital owner, who was also a candidate in the previous election.

Two father-daughter tandems, failed leadership candidate Alex Perici Calacione and his daughter Veronica, and party veteran Censu Galea and his daughter Graziella, mayor of St Paul’s Bay, are also amongst the contenders.

The list moreover includes a number of familiar media faces from the party’s TV channel NET TV, including Norman Vella, Mario Frendo, Louise Tedesco, Jerome Caruana, Lisa Spiteri and Claire Mifsud.

None of the candidates hail from Gozo, however.

Voting ends at 7:30pm in Gozo and 9pm in Malta. Results for the post of President of the Executive Committee should be announced around 11pm today, with the rest of the results to be announced by around 1am early on Sunday.

Early voting for the election took place on 28 October.

The election comes as the PN parliamentary group finds itself in a troubled period.

Nationalist MP Chris Said last week presented a parliamentary motion for the appointment of an inquiry board to investigate murdered journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia’s writings and allegations. Some have seen this as an effort to have party leader Adrian Delia investigated.

The full list of people contending for the election is:

Male Candidates: Joseph M. Aquilina, Nicky Azzopardi, Ivan Bartolo, Charles Bonello, Albert Buttigieg, Alexis Callus, John Baptist Camilleri, Jeremy Cardona, Jerome Caruana Cilia, Roderick Caruana, Robert Cremona, Josef Cuschieri, Malcolm Custo’, Jean Pierre Debono, John B. Dougall, Gabriel Joshua Ellul, Michael Fenech Adami, Mario Frendo, Ċensu Galea, Stephen Gatt, David Grech, David Herrera, Alexander Mangion, Ernest Mercieca, Aaron Micallef Piccione, Robert Micallef, Malcolm Mifsud, Josie Muscat, Martin Musumeci, Alex Perici Calascione, Pierre Portelli, Mark Anthony Sammut, Liam Sciberras, Norvin Spiteri, Alban Thika, Ian Mario Vassallo, Norman Vella, Antoine Zammit and Jason Zammit.

Female Candidates: Amanda Abela, Marisa Abela, Simone Aquilina, Roselyn Borg Knight, Elaine Camilleri Schembri, Maryanne Cuomo, Graziella Galea, Margaret Mercieca, Paula Mifsud Bonnici, Claire Mifsud, Anne Marie Muscat Fenech Adami, Veronica Perici Calascione, Stefania Pirotta, Sandra Smart Costantino, Lisa Spiteri, Louise Tedesco, Evelyn Vella Brincat, Francesca Zammit and Marie Claire Zammit.