PN Deputy Leader Janice Chetcuti? New MP Is Leaving The Door Open And Will Do ‘What’s Best For The Party’
New MP Janice Chetcuti has not ruled out contesting the post of PN deputy leader, stating she will do “what is best for the party”.
“I will contribute where the PN feels is most necessary for me to contribute,” Chetcuti told Lovin Malta when asked whether she will contest the role.
“It’s not just about me though, I am part of a team and we will see this week. I will consider what is best for the party and where I can contribute best.”
A former Marsaxlokk councillor, Chetcuti was elected to Parliament for the first time last March and was made PN spokesperson for the environment, open spaces and animal rights.
Chetcuti raised eyebrows when she decided not to contest a casual election on the 3rd district but make use of the gender quota mechanism instead. She said her decision was to ensure that her district is represented by three MPs, although others interpreted it as a strategic move to stop PN candidate Emma Portelli Bonnici from getting elected to Parliament via gender quota.
While campaigning for the PN leader post in 2020, Opposition Leader Bernard Grech had said he would like a woman to become his deputy leader.
“If there’s a male leader then I’d like there to be a female deputy leader,” Grech said.
“I want to see women involved in the highest positions of the party. It’s not enough to have a note in the statute where we say we want 40% of women in certain roles highest echelons but then only one woman in the highest levels of the party.”
Nominations for the PN deputy leader post opened last weekend and will remain open until Saturday.
Although the party currently has two deputy leaders, recent changes in its statute mean it will have a single deputy leader.
One of the current deputy leaders, Robert Arrigo, has confirmed he won’t contest the position, while the other one, David Agius, has yet to make a statement in this regard.
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