Alex Borg rallies activists to make the PN a winning party

PN leader Alex Borg issued a rallying call for party activists on Wednesday, urging them to join him in his efforts to make the PN a more modern, effective and ultimately victorious party.

“We achieved a lot in a few months, just think what we can do in the coming years,” he said to a standing ovation.

Borg was addressing a meeting of the PN's council, which was convened to discuss the outcome of the general election. The council's proceedings over the coming weeks will include the election or confirmation of the leader. Should Borg be uncontested, a vote to confirm him will still be held.

Borg said this council meeting was not just about discussing an electoral defeat, but about how to make the PN a winning party.

He thanked all those who worked in the electoral campaign, saying the PN attracted 13,000 new votes compared to 2022. It won six districts and saw a swing of 18,000 votes. Although the PN did not win the election, the result showed that the party was rebuilding itself, he said, attracting many new people and others who had left and returned.

Alex Borg addressing the PN council at party headquarters (PN photo)

“Much remains to be done, but we saw new hope and enthusiasm,” he said.

The people now wanted an effective, well-grounded opposition able to hear the people’s views and translate them into its policies, he said, and that was what the PN would be.

It would offer concrete solutions to the challenges facing the people, such as quality of life, affordable housing, health, traffic congestion, the environment and confidence in the institutions.

“I am determined to ensure that the PN is closer than it has ever been to the people,” he promised.

The people’s confidence, he said, was not achieved during the electoral campaign, but in the years before, and that was what he would work to achieve.

At the same time, he said, the party would be strengthened through better organisation and training, with more space for those who wished to contribute.

Should he be confirmed as leader, he said, he would introduce major reforms for the party to renew and modernise itself. These would include a revision of the party statute, introducing a second deputy leader so that one would focus on parliamentary work and the other on the party. 

Asking for the party’s confirmation, Borg urged supporters to join him in continuing what they had started.

“We have not even started yet. There is a lot to be done, We achieved a lot in a few months, just think what we can do in the coming years. I am more determined and better prepared than before to ensure that the party I grew up and lived in becomes a winning party,” Borg said.

The challenge ahead was a double one, he added - to be a serious opposition that would keep the government in check, and to prepare the PN to be the alternative government by the next election. Its policies would continue to be updated and its team would be strengthened to be prepared like never before.

“Do not let disappointment kill your hope. Do not be disheartened by the electoral result,” he said, insisting he was energised to see the PN turned into an effective, enthusiastic and winning party in the interests of Malta and Gozo.“Let’s continue this march together,” he concluded.