Roderick Galdes campaigns despite Labour candidacy being barred
Roderick Galdes says event was pre-planned and vows to remain active in the Labour Party as he contests vote that blocked his candidacy.
Labour MP Roderick Galdes shared footage of a campaign event on social media, despite being barred by his party's top body from running in the next election.
The former affordable housing minister posted a video showing a buffet breakfast held at the Alexandria Hotel in St Julian’s on Tuesday. In the clip, he is seen greeting attendees and addressing the crowd, as well as clips of previous work he did as a minister.
“A few minutes ago, I was in contact with the prime minister. And just as he has already publicly said, I still have a lot to offer to the party,” Galdes says in the video.
He added: “The party always has and always will be in my heart.”
Speaking to Times of Malta on Wednesday morning, Galdes said the event had been planned well in advance.“This was a pre-planned event. I am not going to just leave people hanging if they plan to be there,” he noted.
The event was advertised over a month ago on his social media page.
He added that he intends to "remain active within the Labour Party".
Asked about Galdes continuing to campaign, prime minister Robert Abela told reporters on Wednesday that one of the things he most admired about Galdes was that he always put the party before himself, and he was doing the same now.
"He still has a lot to give the party and I know he will be working with us in this campaign, even if it is in a different role," he said.
On Tuesday, Galdes filed a complaint with party officials, alleging that rules were breached during the vote that blocked him from contesting the next general election.
The Labour Party executive, its top decision-making body, rejected his candidacy in a secret ballot held on Monday, shortly before Prime Minister Robert Abela announced the start of the election campaign.
Times of Malta understands that the initial vote ended in a tie, prompting a second round in which Galdes was defeated.
Party sources said Galdes is contesting the validity of the first vote, claiming that one participant, understood to be his constituency rival Silvio Schembri, was not eligible to take part. According to the complaint, excluding that vote would have allowed him to secure enough support, making a second ballot unnecessary.
Despite the ongoing dispute, Galdes appears to be maintaining a public presence. He has continued to promote upcoming events, including a meeting scheduled for Wednesday at 6pm at the Labour Party club in Qormi.
His Facebook cover photo also continues to display a May 1 rally poster advertising a mass meeting on Workers’ Day.
Contacted for comment, Labour's president Alex Scibberas said he would not comment on party procedure.