Santa Luċija local councillor Liam Sciberras has confirmed his interest in becoming the Nationalist Party’s next general secretary.
The 31-year-old lawyer has served on the Santa Luċija council for nine years and is currently the PN’s minority leader. He is the locality’s most popular councillor, winning almost twice as many first-count votes as Labour mayor Charmaine St John during the June election.
There is still no fixed date for an election to replace Michael Piccinino, who last summer announced his intention to resign and run as a candidate in the upcoming general election.
“The role of general secretary is an important one, not only for the party but also for the country,” Sciberras said, adding that he will be asking the party to consider him for the role.
“The general secretary must be energetic, dynamic, and a driving force for the PN to win the next general election,” he added.
“I completely agree with (PN leader) Bernard Grech, who believes that the parties need to continue renewing themselves for the common good,” he said.
As a councillor, Sciberras was among those leading community opposition to a planning proposal that would see a field containing mature olive and citrus trees converted into a five-storey mega-block.
A council-led petition managed to collect 1,065 signatures, nearly half of Santa Luċija’s residents, objecting to the development.
Sciberras singled out environmental issues as one of his priorities should he be appointed, particularly a PN proposal to constitutionally enshrine the right to a clean environment.
The general secretary is essentially the party CEO and is responsible for finances and the day-to-day running of the organisation and is often also involved in political strategy and policy drafting.
The general secretary is elected through an election within the PN executive committee.
The candidate must be a member of the executive committee before being elected to the post.
Sciberras currently sits on the executive committee as the representative of sectional committees in the fourth district.
Piccinino was expected to be replaced by former MP Karl Gouder who died shortly after making the announcement to stand for the post.