Nationalist MPs backed out of calling on the President to strip Adrian Delia of the leadership of the Opposition, and are now banking on a possible vote of confidence expected to be discussed by the party executive on Tuesday.
Dr Delia continued to strike a defiant tone on Sunday as pressure mounted from several within his own party to step down. At a political activity in Mellieħa, he said there was no place in the PN for those who did not want to work with him.
A letter sent to Dr Delia by the PN’s Mellieħa regional committee had called on him not to hold a political gathering at its club. But shortly after Times of Malta reported the development, an SMS started circulating urging supporters to attend the activity.
On Thursday, 17 members of the party’s 30-strong parliamentary group endorsed an unsigned statement calling for a leadership change.
According to the Constitution, the Opposition leader’s post must be revoked by the President when he “has ceased to command the support of the largest single group of members in opposition to the government”.
We only wanted to go ahead with it if we were totally certain it would get done
Sources within the PN told Times of Malta that while 17 members of the parliamentary group had signed the anonymous declaration, there was uncertainty that all could unite to call on President George Vella to strip Dr Delia of the Leader of the Opposition title.
“Two or three MPs are a bit shaky on this, and we only wanted to go ahead with it if we were totally certain it would get done,” a source said.
Dr Delia came out swinging with fighting words yesterday, saying he would not let the party be taken over by “those who think it belongs to them”.
The PN, he said, has to “strip itself of the pretensions of arrogance, and the misguided assumption that it has a right to be in government”.
He had also struck a defiant tone during a Friday evening interview aired on national broadcaster TVM, saying “nobody tells me when to resign”.
A series of high-level resignations in the party in recent days saw deputy leader Robert Arrigo, general secretary Clyde Puli, and general council president Kristy Debono – all backers of the PN leader – submit their resignations.
Thanking them for their service, Dr Delia invited listeners to properly assess the reasons for their resignation, but insisted he is yet to take a decision.
“I might ask them to reconsider their decision,” he said.
On Thursday chief party reformist Louis Galea wrote to Dr Delia and called on the party’s executive committee president to choose a new leadership team within the shortest time possible.
In a statement last night, Dr Galea made it clear that the executive committee should elect five party officials as dictated by the party statute. He made it clear that the executive committee had nothing to do with the election of a new leader.
Although the executive committee had not received any requests for a vote of confidence by the time of going to print, party sources this would certainly be raised on Tuesday.
“It is the elephant in the room. It must be discussed because the situation is untenable. Hopefully, Dr Delia will see reason and step down himself, but if not, then other action will be needed,” a senior party insider said.