Michael Briguglio has confirmed he will be contesting the 2019 European Parliament elections on the Nationalist Party’s ticket. The former Alternattiva Demokratika leader and Civil Society Network founder will be contesting the election for the PN after joining the party over the last few months.

In a public post, he spoke about the quarter century he has spent in activism in Malta.

“During these years I learned that the voice of civil society can be strong and powerful. I was active in successful campaigns such as EU membership, environmental protection, civil rights, students’ stipends as well as local issues in my role as local councillor since 2003. I spoke about issues such as good governance, workers’ rights and residents’ rights. My roles varied during these years, but my goal for a more democratic, inclusive, decent, solidaristic society remained the same,” he said in a public post today.

He was approached by the Nationalist party to contest the 2019 MEP elections in the last month, and decided to take up their offer after some deliberation.

“Through my candidature I want to be a bridge between common people, civil society and the European Union. I want to represent the values of solidarity, justice, dignity and sustainability and I will work in the best interests of the country with my fellow candidates. I was never a sailor of calm seas, and I won’t be now. I will voice people’s concerns in a reasoned way. Your support will help me fight for what is right, to speak up without fear or favour,” he said.

Michael Briguglio alongside Leader of the Opposition Adrian Delia and G?ira councillor Jeremy Cardona

Briguglio has been involved in activism in Malta for years. He led AD to achieve a historic 1.8% of the vote in the 2013 elections. He was elected onto the Sliema local council until 2017 on AD’s ticket, before joining the PN. He had supported Chris Said in the PN’s leadership election, but has been seen working with Adrian Delia in recent weeks.

He’s been active in the environmental group Front ?arsien ODZ, as well as the good governance pressure group Civil Society Network, organising one of the largest protests Malta’s seen in recent years.

What do you think of Micheal Briguglio’s candidature?

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Johnathan Cilia

Johnathan is an award-winning Maltese journalist interested in social justice, politics, minority issues, music and food. Follow him at @supreofficialmt on Instagram, and send him news, food and music stories at [email protected]