Prime Minister Robert Abela intends to run as a candidate on the second electoral district during the next general election, he said on Friday. 

“Last election a prime minister was elected from that district… and in the next general election they will have a prime minister who will again contest that district,” Dr Abela said on Friday night TV show Xarabank. 

The second electoral district is a Labour Party stronghold and includes Vittoriosa, Cospicua, Senglea, Kalkara, Żabbar, Xgħajra and Fgura. 

Joseph Muscat, who stepped down as prime minister for Dr Abela this week, contested both the 2013 and 2017 general elections in the district, as well as in the fifth.  

Labour also elected Joe Mizzi, Chris Agius and Glenn Bedingfield from the district in the 2017 election. None were nominated as ministers in Dr Abela's Cabinet, which he announced this week.  

Mr Mizzi lost his ministerial portfolio and will serve on the party backbench, Mr Agius was confirmed as a parliamentary secretary and Mr Bedingfield was appointed government whip. 

Dr Abela is a native of Qormi and ran for office on the sixth electoral district in the 2017 general election, when he contested for the first time. 

He can however point to familial ties in the second district: his wife Lydia is from Cospicua and her sister Alison Zerafa Civell serves as mayor of the town. 

Speaking on Xarabank, Dr Abela said that he would have contested on the second district in the next general election even if he had not become prime minister.

“It was always my intention,” he said, “because it is the heart of the Labour Party”. 

The next general election must be held by 2022.