Alex Borg says he did not breach party statute by keeping Gozo seat

PN leader Alex Borg on Sunday stood by his decision to hold on to his 13th district seat and give up the 12th, insisting he did not breach the party’s statute.

During an interview on party television, Borg said he retained discretion, as party leader, to decide which district seat to give up.

The party’s statute explicitly says that a candidate who is elected from more than one electoral district must vacate the seat in the district where the lower percentage of first-count votes as a percentage of the district quota is obtained.

Had Borg abided by this clause, he would have had to give up the seat in his home district Gozo.

The party decided, however, that its leader was exempt from this rule because he was not an ordinary candidate.

The statute also regulates the definition of a ‘candidate’, which is a party member who has been approved by the executive committee to contest an election.

Borg said he was comfortable with his decision, especially as the president of the general council decided that it would not breach the statute if he retains his Gozo seat.

Shadow Cabinet to be announced shortly

Borg said the composition of his shadow cabinet will be finalised and announced shortly after the casual elections on Tuesday.  

Reflecting on the election, Borg said the result was positive overall, despite the PN not having won.  

He observed that the PN gained votes in every district, including the ones that traditionally lean Labour. This meant that the gap between Labour and the PN had narrowed as thousands of people voted for the PN again.

Borg also said that hundreds of people reached out to the party shortly after the election result, offering to volunteer and contribute to the party.

“People believe, despite the result, that the PN has a future. There is a foundation to build on over the next five years,” he said.

He said he is aiming to build a more organised and structured party over the coming legislature, and the PN’s parliamentary group would keep close contact with constituents – be it by attending locality activities are going door-to-door.

He thanked the PN’s elected candidates, but also those who did not get elected. He encouraged the latter to continue contributing to the party by other means.