District 9 profile: No threat to PN majority, but candidate race wide open
Voters in a district characterised by congested and tourist-heavy towns will have some new names on the ballot
Neville Borg profiles a district consisting of Għargħur, Msida, Swatar Pietà, San Ġwann, Kappara, Swieqi, Madliena and Ta’ Xbiex. Read all the district profiles here.
Voters in district nine, one of PN’s traditional strongholds, are unlikely to spring any major surprises when they take to the ballot box on Saturday.
While PN’s once-lofty majorities of more than 60 per cent in the district are unlikely to return, the party nonetheless secured a hefty 15-point lead in the 2022 election, winning almost 56 per cent of all votes.
However, the district is among those that have changed most drastically in recent years, featuring several towns where the foreign population has swelled over the past decade, while local residents dipped.
This meant that, for this election, Pietà has been added to the district to ensure that it meets the minimum voter threshold set out in the constitution.
How this will shape the race remains to be seen, although party insiders agree that the seat allocation is unlikely to change from the three PN and two Labour seats awarded in 2022.
While a drastic change in the district’s overall vote appears not to be on the cards, the race among candidates remains wide open, particularly for those on the PN ticket.
Candidates will be keen to show they can address the most pressing concerns in the district’s several congested and tourist-heavy towns.
Residents in Swieqi, in particular, have frequently voiced their anger over what they see as the town being treated as an extension of Paceville, pointing to disturbances caused by partygoers and short-let tenants in the area.
Former heavyweights no longer on PN ticket
The race appears to be most open among PN candidates, with only two of the candidates originally elected by the party in 2022, Joe Giglio and Eve Borg Bonello, contesting again. Giglio was elected directly while Borg Bonello was elected thanks to the gender mechanism.
Four years ago, voters also elected Ivan Bartolo, who has since stepped away from politics, and Robert Arrigo, who died in October 2022.
PN’s 2022 ticket also featured several other notable names who fell short and are no longer standing for election, including Jason Azzopardi, Karol Aquilina, and Emma Portelli Bonnici. Karl Gouder passed away in 2024.
Arrigo's figure, in particular, looms large over the race, with the popular former deputy leader having secured over 2,000 first-count votes in 2022, including several from pale blue voters.
Giglio, a popular lawyer, remains the party’s frontrunner in the district, having secured over 4,400 votes last time around, However, some insiders say, he might struggle to match that tally again.
Several of the party’s candidates are vying for the party’s second and third seats on the district.
Graziella Attard Previ, who took Giglio’s seat in a casual election in 2022, could once again secure a spot.
Graham Bencini has been active throughout the legislature, shadowing several large portfolios, including finance and, later, social security. He will be hoping to perform strongly this time around, although he faces stiff competition from other sitting MPs.
These include Albert Buttigieg, Julie Zahra and Eve Borg Bonello, as well as veterans Beppe Fenech Adami and party deputy leader Alex Perici Calascione.
Insiders also say Marilena Gauci, the daughter of former Għargħur mayor Helen Gauci, could spring a surprise, although she may ultimately fall short.
Two clear frontrunners for Labour
Meanwhile, things appear more straightforward on the Labour ticket, where both Clifton Grima and Michael Falzon remain the firm favourites.
Grima, in particular, is likely to fare well, having performed particularly strongly four years ago. In 2022, Grima was the first Labour candidate in the district’s history to top the total first-count vote tally across all parties, winning over 4,400 votes at first count.
Falzon, too, will be expecting to repeat his 2022 performance, when he won 2,800 first-count votes, well ahead of the remaining party candidates.
However, Rebecca Buttigieg, who took Falzon’s place in a casual election in 2022, is believed to have significantly raised her profile over the past four years.
As a parliamentary secretary for equality, Buttigieg has been the face of many of the government’s more progressive reforms in recent years.
Labour’s 2022 ticket also included two former ministers who have stepped away from politics, namely Edward Zammit Lewis and Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi.
They have been replaced by several newcomers, including economist Clint Azzopardi Flores, lawyer Miguel Balzan and Għargħur mayor Mariah Meli.
The district also features a wildcard in the shape of Momentum’s Arnold Cassola, who will be hoping for a repeat of his strong performance in 2024’s European Parliament elections.
Cassola is just one of several small party candidates in the district, which also includes ADPD’s Mark Anthony Zerafa, Aħwa Maltin’s Josephine Borg and Eman Cross from Imperium Europa.
The candidates running on the district are:
ADPD: Zerafa Mark Anthony.
Aħwa Maltin: Borg Josephine.
Labour Party: Agius Tabone Vania, Azzopardi Flores Clinton-Domenic (Clint), Balzan Miguel, Borg Tania, Borg Vassallo Lorna, Buttigieg Rebecca, Caruana David, Cassar Shaw Lisa, Falzon Michael, Grima Clifton, Meli Mariah.
Momentum: Cassola Arnold.
Nationalist Party: Attard Previ Graziella, Aquilina Joseph Mary, Bencini Graham, Borg Bonello Eve, Buttigieg Albert, Ellul James Aaron, Fenech Adami Joseph (Beppe), Gauci Marija Elena, Giglio Joe, Muscat Jonathan Albert, Muscat Noel, Perici Calascione Alex, Selvaggi Charles, Zahra Julie.
Imperium Europa: Cross Eman Alexander.
Read all the district profiles here.