Karl Stagno-Navarra
The PN administration is expected to turn down MP David Agius’s bid to temporarily fill the post of PN President – vacated last week by Victor Scerri – given that the party statute denies the possibility of the same person holding down two posts at the same time.
Agius reportedly wrote to PN secretary general Paul Borg Olivier offering his “temporary” services to stand in as PN President, hours after Victor Scerri resigned as party president following the controversy about his choice to purchase and develop land in pristine Bahrija.
According to senior PN sources, David Agius cannot occupy the post of PN President while remaining the PN parliamentary whip. Furthermore Agius is also the parliamentary group secretary who sits on the party administrative committee, currently chaired by Marthese Portelli.
As Prime Minister and party leader, Lawrence Gonzi has since been non-committal as to whether the party would call an extraordinary General Council to elect a new party president. before the scheduled October meeting. Observers have pointed out that it would be highly “unlikely” that an ‘interim’ president be elected, given the fact that all party officials are up for election next March.
“It would be absurd to have a party president serve only for a few months,” said a senior party member, while adding that the statute provides for such circumstances where the President of the Administrative Council would “fill-in” to preside over the General Council.
A similar situation was experienced in 1998, when Tonio Borg, who served as PN President, was appointed Minister in the Fenech Adami administration.
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