Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1541360
STEFAN Zrinzo Azzopardi's decision not to contest the next general election is likely to bene- fit Labour Cabinet members Julia Farrugia and Omar Farrugia on the 5th District. Zrinzo Azzopardi was the fourth and last Labour candidate to get elected on the district in 2022, pipping Julia Farrugia by a mere 61 votes on the 15th count. Zrin- zo Azzopardi had received 1,021 votes on the first count. The Labour Party elected four MPs on the district: Robert Abela, Miriam Dalli, Owen Bonnici and Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi. Julia Farrugia still made it to parlia- ment having been elected on the 7th District, while Abela, who was elected also on the 2nd District, gave up his seat, paving the way for Omar Farrugia to make it to parliament via casual election. Julia Farrugia is inclusion min- ister, while Omar Farrugia is par- liamentary secretary for public works. Zrinzo Azzopardi is minis- ter responsible for EU funds. With Zrinzo Azzopardi pulling out of the race, his votes will be up for grabs as is his political net- work in the district. Sources close to the PL told MaltaToday that Julia Farrugia and Omar Farrugia are the likeliest to benefit from the minister's decision to move away from parliamentary politics. Nonetheless, a bigger question mark that could radically change dynamics on the district is wheth- er the prime minister will retain his 5th District candidature. In 2022, Abela went head-to-head with Nationalist Party leader Ber- nard Grech, who contested the 5th District, which includes his birth town, Birżebbuġa. Three years ago, the prime min- ister's decision to join the fray on the 5th District was taken just days before the election was called. Abela had phoned all oth- er PL candidates on the district individually to inform them of his decision before going public with it during a political event in Mqabba. "The leader's choice of districts to contest are strategic more than anything else and much will prob- ably depend on which districts PN leader Alex Borg will contest," a party source said. Traditionally, Labour leaders have always contested on the 2nd District, which includes the Cot- tonera stronghold, leaving one other candidature up for grabs. In 2017, then Prime Minister Joseph Muscat had decided to contest on the 5th District, apart from Cot- tonera. If Abela does not put his hat in the ring on the 5th District in the next election, it is very likely that all current Cabinet members— Miriam Dalli, Owen Bonnici, Julia Farrugia and Omar Farrugia—will be elected on their own steam. Zrinzo Azzopardi, 52, an- nounced on Friday he will not be seeking re-election, saying he would like to spend more time with his family and return to his legal profession. Zrinzo Azzopardi is minister re- sponsible for EU funds and imple- mentation of the electoral mani- festo and is expected to stay on for the rest of the legislature. "I have informed PM Abela that I will not contest the next general election to dedicate more time to my family and return to my pro- fession. I will continue offering my services to the Labour Party as I have done for the past 30 years," he said in a statement. Meanwhile, party sources on the 5th District told MaltaToday that Zrinzo Azzopardi had been feel- ing the heat over the controversy involving a large tract of agricul- tural land in the Tal-Bebbux area in Żurrieq. The locality is the larg- est in the district. As minister responsible for lands, Zrinzo Azzopardi had an- gered residents earlier this year when he defended the Lands Au- thority decision to evict two farm- ers from their fields and grant consent for the construction of a road to service a private develop- ment nearby. "Constituents blamed Stefan [Zrinzo Azzopardi] for the de- bacle, which was only solved in July when the new Lands Minis- ter Owen Bonnici promised res- idents the agricultural land will not be touched," the sources said. In the aftermath of the Tal-Beb- bux controversy, Zrinzo Azzopar- di's portfolio was rejigged during the mini reshuffle carried out by Robert Abela in May. He had the Lands Authority removed from Zrinzo Azzopardi's remit and in- stead was handed the EU funds portfolio—a step short of being booted out of Cabinet. EU funds have normally been tied to a big- ger ministry and are usually the responsibility of a parliamentary secretary. With his fortunes waning, Zrin- zo Azzopardi decided to pull the plug and not contest the next gen- eral election. 20 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 16 NOVEMBER 2025 NEWS Julia Farrugia and Omar Farrugia stand to gain from Zrinzo Azzopardi calling it quits KURT SANSONE ksansone@mediatoday.com.mt Julia Farrugia (left) and Omar Farrugia (centre) are expected to benefit most from Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi's decision to quit parliamentary politics at the end of the legislature