Adrian Delia critic David Thake eyes parliamentary seat that will be vacated by Simon Busuttil

David Thake, who has been an open critic of PN leader Adrian Delia, says he has noted a positive policy direction in the party over recent months

David Thake, the controversial former Nationalist Party radio host, will be running for Simon Busutill’s parliamentary seat when he vacates it later this year.

Thake has been an open critic of PN leader Adrian Delia and is one of several candidates who could potentially contest the by-election on the Twelfth District to take Busuttil's seat.

In the last general election Thake unsuccessfully contested for the first time and later resigned from the St Paul’s Bay local council where he was a councillor in protest when Delia was elected leader of the party.

Asked whether he would continuing voicing his criticism against Delia if elected MP, Thake said that he had always done so in the forum available to his disposal.

“I criticise what I feel is wrong, and if I see that there is something that is not functioning properly, I will do so,” he said.

Thake was also asked whether he finds any issue working under Delia, given the open criticism of his leadership.

“I was a candidate for the PN, and I am committed to working towards making it the party which is the most trusted in the country,” Thake said.

Thake said that he prefers “to look at policies rather than individuals" and that policies have improved over recent months. "Good governance seems to be one of the priorites in the party’s work," Thake said.

Busutill will be taking up a new role in Brussels as secretary general of the European People’s Party. He will resign his parliamentary seat in Malta.

Thake had received just 126 votes in the first count of the 2017 general election, but inherited 868 second preference votes from then party leader Simon Busutill. This means that he starts with that advantage over other rival candidates.

But Thake dismissed suggestions that he is the favourite to win, stating there are a large number of votes yet to be counted.

He also said that with his surname starting with ‘T’, he would be unlikely to benefit from donkey voting, which plays a big role in what the outcome will be.

Thake’s closest competitor would be Graziella Galea, the former St Pual's Bay mayor and daughter of veteran PN candidate Ċensu Galea She received 615 of Busutill’s second preference votes.

Galea also confirmed with MaltaToday that when Busutils resigns she would also be running for his seat in parliament.

Sam Abela’s alphabetical superiority could also prove as an advantage, having received 300 of Busutill’s votes.