Claudette Abela Baldacchino is to seek a return to the European Parliament where she served as Labour MEP between 2013 to 2014. 

A former One journalist, Abela Baldacchino later represented Malta as a member of the Committee of the Regions (CoR) of the EU and was vice-president of the Local Councils Association having served as deputy mayor of Qrendi.

She was also president of Labour's women's section.  

Abela Baldacchino is a graduate in social administration and also holds a Master of Science in governance and management.

In 2021 she was among several serving and former mayors and officials from a travel agency and the Local Councils Association who were cleared of fraud that allegedly took place 11 years previously in the purchase of flight tickets.

Her husband Kevin announced her nomination in a Facebook post saying she had been asked by Prime Minister Robert Abela to contest the election and after much thought she accepted. 

Abela Baldacchino got 12,300 first-count votes in the 2009 election, losing the seat to John Attard Montalto by a few votes.

Eventually, she was co-opted to the European Parliament after Louis Grech contested and was elected in the national election.  

The world's largest transnational election in June will see more than 400 million eligible voters from 27 European Union countries pick 720 European Parliament members that decide on issues ranging from mobile phone roaming charges to the privacy of online data.

Correction February 5, 2024: A previous version stated that Abela Baldacchino served as MEP from 2009.