Alex Borg on Edwin Vassallo and Franco Debono: PN is 'open to everyone'
PN leader says he is willing to work with anyone with good intentions
Alex Borg has indicated he is open to Edwin Vassallo and Franco Debono making a return to the Nationalist Party, saying anyone with good intentions is welcome within the party.
The Nationalist Party leader was speaking during an interview on Andrew Azzopardi’s programme Andrew fuq Campus 103.7.
During a discussion about the upcoming election, Azzopardi asked Borg whether lawyer and former MP Franco Debono could be a possible candidate.
Borg said the matter had not yet been discussed, but stressed that the party is open to all. “This is a party open to everyone,” he said.
Azzopardi then asked whether there was also space for Vassallo, a former MP.
“Whether it is Edwin, whether it is Franco, whoever. What’s in a name? Everyone who has truly good intentions and who truly has the national interest at heart can be part of the structure of the party,” Borg said.
He did not specify what roles they could take within the party, but said they could range from electoral candidates to strategists and other positions.
He added that the party does not have the resources to pay people and relies on voluntary support.
“Whoever wants to help is more than welcome as long as they have the national interest at heart and not their own personal interests,” Borg said.
Borg also stressed during the interview that he looks at people for their qualities, not for their defects.
Edwin Vassallo
Vassallo failed to secure re-election in 2022 after 25 years in parliament. He later left the PN and set up Moviment Solidarjetà, contesting the 2024 European Parliament elections under that banner and receiving 717 first-count votes.
Most closely associated with the PN's conservative wing, Vassallo was a vocal opponent to divorce legislation, voted against same-sex marriage and also voted down domestic violence legislation due to its references to gender.
Talk of a reconciliation between Vassallo and the PN were rekindled in December, when Borg met with the former MP at the party’s headquarters.
A party spokesperson later downplayed the meeting, saying that if Vassallo wished to be part of the PN, he would need to follow the party line. The spokesperson added that the meeting did not mean Borg agreed with Vassallo’s views.
Franco Debono
Debono is a criminal lawyer who served as a Nationalist MP and championed several judicial and rule of law reforms until a fallout with the party leadership in 2012.
He nevertheless remained a party member and was touted as a potential leadership candidate in the race to replace former leader Bernard Grech.
He ultimately chose not to contest the leadership but said he intends to take on a more active role in politics.