Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1464426
3 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 13 APRIL 2022 NEWS ELECTIONS 2022 KURT SANSONE & KARL AZZOPARDI THE Nationalist Party elected seven MPs to the House during Tuesday's casual elections. Five new faces made to the House - Rebekah Cilia, Stan- ley Zammit, Graham Bencini, Charles Azzopardi and Graziella Attard Previ. Incumbents Karol Aquilina and Carm Mifsud Bon- nici were also elected. Casual elections were under- way at the Naxxar counting hall to fill seven vacat parliamentary seats given up by dual-candidacy Nationalist MPs. There were 48 nominations to fill vacant seats on the 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th and 10th districts. On the 7th and 9th districts, two casual elections were held. The casual election process started at 9am and took less than an hour given the new electronic counting system. The candidates included MPs from the last legislature, who failed to get elected on their own steam such as Karol Aquilina, Jason Azzopardi, Edwin Vassal- lo, Karl Gouder and Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici. In the first election of the day, candidate Rebekah Cilia was elected on the seventh district for the seat vacated by MP Adri- an Delia. Rebekah Cilia is a new- comer on the district. On the seat vacated by leader Bernard Grech on the fifth dis- trict, Stanley Zammit was elect- ed in the casual election. Graham Bencini was elect- ed on the 10th district MP Graham Bencini . The district was vacated by Mark Anthony Sammut. On the ninth district, incum- bent MP Karol Aquilina, one of the most controversial figures inside the PN, was elected. The district was vacated by Robert Arrigo. Former Labour mayor Charles Azzopardi was also elected on the seventh district, on the seat vacated by Ryan Callus. Stalwart Edwin Vassallo was not elected to the House. On the second ninth dis- trict seat vacated by Joe Giglio, Sliema mayor Graziella Attard Previ was elected. This means candidate Jason Azzopardi will not be elected to the House. Karl Gouder also failed to get elected during the casual elec- tions. In the last casual election of the day, Carm Mifsud Bonnici was elected on the third district seat vacated by Stephen Spiteri. The PN statute stipulates that dual-candidacy MPs have to give up the district on which they have the lowest share of first count votes as a percentage of the respective district quota. This system removes any inter- ference by the party in deciding which seats MPs have to give up. 3rd District seat – seat vacated by Stephen Spiteri Nominations: John Baptist Camilleri, Errol Cutajar, Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici, Mary Muscat and Leone Sciberras 5th District – seat vacated by Bernard Grech Nominations: Stefan Caruana, Francine Farrugia, Owen Sciberras and Stanley Zammit 7th District – seat vacated by Ryan Callus Nominations: Charles Azzopardi, Rebekah-Ann Cilia, Anthony Mifsud, Alessia Psaila Zammit, Edwin Vassallo and Josephine Xuereb 7th District – seat vacated by Adrian Delia Nominations: Charles Azzopardi, Rebekah-Ann Cilia, Anthony Mifsud, Alessia Psaila Zammit, Edwin Vassallo and Josephine Xuereb 9th District – seats vacated by Robert Arrigo Nominations: Karol Aquilina, Graziella Attard Previ, Jason Azzopardi, Graham Bencini, Eve Borg Bonello, Albert Buttigieg, Karl Gouder, Noel Muscat, Emma Portelli Bonnici and Charles Selvaggi 9th District – seats vacated by Joe Giglio Nominations: Karol Aquilina, Graziella Attard Previ, Jason Azzopardi, Graham Bencini, Eve Borg Bonello, Albert Buttigieg, Karl Gouder, Noel Muscat, Emma Portelli Bonnici and Charles Selvaggi 10th District – seat vacated by Mark Anthony Sammut Nominations: Karol Aquilina, Graziella Attard Previ, Graham Bencini, Eve Borg Bonello, Albert Buttigieg, Karl Gouder and Emma Portelli Bonnici Casual elections PN elects five new MPs, returns Karol Aquilina and Carm Mifsud Bonnici Casual elections line-up Seventh district MP Rebekah Cilia Seventh district MP Charles Azzopardi Fifth district MP Stanley Zammit Ninth district MP Graziella Attard Previ Ninth district MP Karol Aquilina Third district MP Carm Mifsud Bonnici 10th district MP Graham Bencini