David Thake had confirmed he will run in the casual election to take Simon Busuttil’s seat in parliament, but dismissed suggestions he was favourite for the post, Lovin Malta can reveal.

Thake had just missed out on getting elected in the 2017 general election, with Deputy Speaker Claudette Buttigieg beating him to the post. 

He received just 126 first-count votes. However, he gained 868 votes of then-leader Busuttil’s second preference votes, the most out of the candidates eligible to run.

Busuttil is leaving his post in parliament after taking up the post of secretary general of the European People’s Party Group in the European Parliament, the largest political grouping in the EU.

The candidate will be elected according to the votes they would have inherited from the resigning MP, so Thake’s result on the Busuttil ballot puts him in a strong position to make it to the parliamentary floor.

Thake, a former popular PN broadcaster and commenter, still enjoys some support among the grassroots, most recently speaking at an anti-corruption rally during the current political crisis.

His election will be interesting, with a successful bid creating shaky ground for embattled Opposition Leader Adrian Delia. Thake is an outspoken critic of Delia, even resigning as a PN local councillor in St Paul’s Bay because of his leadership.

However, Thake dismissed suggestions that he was the favourite to win. With over 9,300 votes to count, the second, third, fourth, and even fifth preference votes could play a massive factor in the winner.

With a surname starting with the letter ‘T’, donkey voting could also have a part to play, he warned.

Thake’s closest competitor would be Graziella Galea, receiving 615 of Busuttil’s second preference votes. Meanwhile, Sam Abela could stand to benefit for alphabetical superiority, already receiving around 300 of Busuttil’s ballot knock-on votes.

By throwing his name in the hat, Thake has effectively rubbished any speculation that either Joe Giglio or Bernard Grech could be co-opted into parliament, despite their ever-growing popularity.