With two weeks until the deadline for by-election candidates to put their names forward, PDP leader Nick Cruz today made the formal announcement to the press, that he would indeed be standing on behalf of the Progressive Democratic Party.

Despite the party’s disappointment in the 2007 and 2011 General Elections, they feel positively towards this by-election as it allows for a completely free vote, void of any sense of tribal or block voting. Mr. Cruz insisted that the main pitch he could put across to the electorate is that 'this is a fantastic opportunity to introduce constructive politics in to Parliament, which historically has been difficult to do given the nature of block voting and that tribalism that Mr. Caruana and Mr. Bossano have endeared historically. He added that neither the GSLP Alliance, nor the GSD will be adversely affected if their candidate is not elected.'

Although the rumour mill continues to turn, no other candidates have been brought forward, as of yet. Commenting on how the party plans to made their voice heard over the next few weeks Mr. Cruz explained that they would be extremely active on Social Media and would be re-launching their website for the campaign. He added that they would also dedicate time to the more traditional methods, in terms of engagement with people, particularly nearer the end of the campaign when the party will launch their manifesto.

Outlining his opinion of the most salient issues to be targeted during the by-election, Nick Cruz touched upon the current style of politics, claiming that the ‘tit for tat politics between Fabian Picardo and Daniel Feetham’ is just non stop and is leading the electorate to question whether they are getting value for money. He added that other relevant issues included the Economy, housing and the education system, which Mr. Cruz claimed had not been challenged by any other party. He believes that a bigger investment into education is necessary.

The Party believes that if Nick Cruz is elected to Parliament ‘it would really restore some straight talking and common sense to our debates, which will not happen by voting for the other main party candidates. [Their] contribution will be based on the series of policies, from housing, the environment, social services, immigration, the elderly, youth, health or democracy, which have been made public over the last few years.’

The PDP also claimed that Nick Cruz’s election to Parliament would serve as an opportunity for the electorate to see whether the PDP can prove itself in Parliament , as well as giving voters a choice for a different alternative both for Opposition and more importantly, for Government, during the 2015 elections.