Nationalist party leader Bernard Grech is set to contest his first general election on the fifth and 11th electoral districts, Times of Malta revealed. 

The fifth district, a stronghold for Labour, includes Birzebbugia, Kirkop, Mqabba, Ħal Farruġ, Luqa, Qrendi, Safi and Żurrieq. The PL won more than 65.7% of the vote in the last general election against the PN’s 33.2%.

Former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat was elected from the fifth district in 2017, earning 12,900 first-count votes.

Meanwhile, the 11th district is more Nationalist-leaning, with the party boasting 55.2% of the vote against the PL’s 43% in the last election. It includes Mdina, Attard, Mosta and Burmarrad. Former PN leader Simon Busuttil contested on the district and received 11,200 first count votes.

Bernard Grech beat the former incumbent leader Adrian Delia on 3rd October, in a vote among the party’s members that was called in the wake of a political crisis within the PN.

The PN has two MPs who are elected from the fifth district, Toni Bezzina and Hermann Schiavone while MPs David Agius, Maria Deguara, Ivan Bartolo and Edwin Vassallo were elected from the 11th district.

Meanwhile, criminal lawyer Joe Giglio was also approved as a candidate on the ninth and 10th electoral district.

Gudja councillor Mark Anthony Sammut and Birkirkara councillor Justin Schembri, both considered to be rising stars within the party, also confirmed they will contest the next election, which has been scheduled to take place by 2022.

Angela Coleiro, another candidate for the ninth and 10th districts, will become Malta’s first-ever transgender woman to contest a general election.

An official list of approved general election candidates has yet to be issued by the party.