Adrian Delia has admitted that he was wrong to have pushed for Simon Busuttil to suspend himself from the Nationalist Party's parliamentary group. 

The PN leader said that he now considered that decision, made in 2018 on the same day that the attorney general published a set of conclusions from the Egrant inquiry, to be a mistake. Delia would subsequently step back from that decision and instead stripped Busuttil of his portfolio as spokesperson for good governance. 

Delia's stance drove a deeper wedge between himself and several members of the party's parliamentary group and led to internal strife concerning his leadership of the PN. Those battles will culminate in a leadership election that ends in a week's time, on Saturday, October 3. 

Early voting in the election began on Friday, and by Saturday morning 16% of eligible votes had already been cast.

Speaking on Saturday, Delia argued that he should be allowed to complete his full term before putting his leadership to the test. His Nationalist Party leadership rival Bernard Grech, meanwhile, said no inroads would be possible unless the party would unite itself.

Short of confronting themselves in a face-to-face debate, the two leadership candidates outlined their positions when interviewed separately on radio station FM103 by Andrew Azzopardi.

Delia: Unrealistic to expect sudden success

The incumbent leader insisted it was unrealistic to expect the PN to start making any inroads, after 20 years in which it was in constant decline.  Furthermore, he downplayed the party’s double drubbing in the 2019 MEP and council elections, saying the result was similar to those of his predecessors.

A ballot box beneath portraits of the two PN candidates. Photo: Chris Sant Fournier

Asked why he had not resigned after losing the confidence of his own parliamentary group and various party organs he said he had no intention of doing so as long as he would have the support of the majority of party members.

On a positive note, Delia said under his watch, the party’s finances had improved. He noted that income from various leases of the party’s properties had soared from €16,000 to €18,000 to €120,000 to €150,000 annually by next year.

As for the future of one of his biggest critics - Justice Shadow Minister Jason Azzopardi - Delia said the MP had no place in the parliamentary group and consequently would be removed from the Shadow Cabinet.

On immigration, Delia refuted claims he was fomenting racism, saying his concern reflected the worries which he was coming across during house visits.

The PN leader said that places like Marsa and Ħamrun symbolised government’s failure as migrants were living overcrowded squalid conditions, which in turn posed issues to the entire community.

Grech: Party needs to unite if it is to win

On his part, Bernard Grech insisted his mission was to unite the party, as otherwise it would stand no chance to start regaining people’s trust. He warned that certain comments on social media, as well as groups making use of the party’s name which were fomenting division, had to stop. If necessary, the party would be taking disciplinary action through its internal structures, Grech said.

Asked how he would deal with rebel MPs, Grech said it was crucial to summon the parliamentary group regularly in order to thrash out any issues immediately, rather than risk an escalation.

Grech also outlined his position on the manner in which the PN could maintain a good relationship with large businesses without compromising itself. He cited his own crowdfunding campaign as an example, saying donations over €250 were not allowed.

Once again, Grech denied the existence of some sort of deal to persuade others who might have been interested to run for the leadership - like MP Therese Comodini Cachia and MEP Roberta Metsola – not to enter the race. While noting he had also offered to step back, Grech remarked that it was felt that having more than two candidates could have harmed the prospects of uniting the party.

Asked on abortion, Grech said the matter was not only about his personal position but over the fact that the life of the unborn was at stake.

“Had I been pro-abortion I would not have even considered running for the leadership as the party is pro-life,” he remarked.

Grech added that the only room for discussion was on how to support mothers who had either committed an abortion or to persuade them from not doing so by offering material help.