Bernard Grech has rejected outright an offer from Nationalist Party deputy leader Robert Arrigo to drop out of the leadership race in exchange for an alternative senior post.
Grech said pulling out now would do a disservice to party and country.
Arrigo, who openly backs Delia, has urged Grech to back out of the upcoming election, saying he would even offer the lawyer his role in exchange for his withdrawal.
In a televised interview on FLiving, Arrigo last week said that the election, to be contested by Grech and incumbent PN leader Delia, risks doing the party more harm than good.
He said he was ready to step down as Delia’s right-hand man and have Grech replace him if the race was called off.
Replying to questions on Sunday, a spokesperson for Grech said the political newcomer had no intention of withdrawing.
“Bernard Grech considers dropping out of the PN leadership race a disservice to the party and the country,” the spokesman said.
Grech considers dropping out of the PN leadership race a disservice to the party and the country
Sources said this was not the first time that the Delia camp had made overtures to Grech, saying similar offers had been made and rejected in recent weeks.
Bernard Grech, the sources said, had also turned down requests by Delia to consider running in the 2019 European Parliament election.
The election will be held among paid-up members of the party.
Opinion polls have put Grech well ahead of Delia in terms of his trust rating among the general population.
Sources close to Delia yesterday said that the embattled leader, who has faced repeated revolts from within his own parliamentary group, believes the race will split the party further rather than unite it.
Grech, on the other hand, has repeatedly said he plans to reconcile opposing groups within the PN. Other potential contenders within the ‘rebel’ faction of the party had stepped aside and have given him their backing.
Those close to Grech have also said it is not up to him to stop the PN’s leadership race, saying it is a democratic process initiated by party structures.
The leadership election race has not yet formally begun.
Voting is likely to be held in early October after a due diligence process, examining the integrity and financial dealings of Delia and his challenger, run their six-week course. This means Delia will still be at the helm of the party during September’s Independence Day celebrations – a major event on the Nationalist calendar.
Polling will be held between a Wednesday and a Saturday to avoid crowds as a precautionary health measure, while the preceding Wednesday and Friday will be dedicated to early voting. The commission is planning to have a polling station set up at each of the 13 electoral districts.