Xgħajra local councillor Doris Borg said she is leaving the Nationalist Party and will continue to serve as an independent councillor, claiming she had been sidelined during the election campaign.

She made the announcement on Facebook, saying she was discriminated against and sidelined during the general election campaign, of which she was a candidate.  

Borg has served as a PN councillor since 2013 and contested the general election on the PN’s ticket for the second and fourth districts, with Bernice Bonello also contesting on both of those districts and Julie Zahra contesting on the fourth.

Both Bonello and Zahra have made it to parliament through the gender quota mechanism, while Borg did not make the cut, a consequence, she said in a Facebook post, of the party sidelining her.

“We were two female candidates on the second district,” Borg said. 

“I regret to say that the other candidate was strongly promoted, especially by party media, while I was sidelined completely. This is reflected in the result that I achieved.” 

Borg got 248 votes on the second district and 46 votes on the fourth. 

“Not only was I discriminated against, but my dignity was utterly trampled... they used me and then discarded me,” she continued. 

“From today I will be serving the local council as an independent candidate. As a councillor, I will continue to serve everyone with sincerity and loyalty.”

Earlier this week, former MP and shadow minister Jason Azzopardi announced his resignation from the PN after he failed to get re-elected, claiming he was “deliberately isolated” .

Another councillor, Ivan Bartolo, who represented the PN on the Paola local council, announced his resignation from politics two days after the general election. 

“I thank everyone who put their faith in me, but the time has come for me to retire from politics and dedicate myself to what truly gives me satisfaction,” Bartolo said. 

“I no longer recognise the party that I truly love.”