Former PN leadership candidate Alex Perici Calascione gave voice to the rumblings of discontent within the party on Monday, insisting “nobody is bigger than the party” and that the scale of the defeat could not be ignored or played down.
In a Facebook post on Monday in which he outlined the scale of the defeat the PN endured in the European Parliament election, Dr Perici Calascione said: “The greater the deficit, the stronger the message of the electorate and the more urgent the need for us to react.”
An empty PN headquarters on Sunday, as the Labour Party celebrated around the corner."This is the worst electoral calamity in the history of the Nationalist Party".
Dr Perici Calascione, who contested the 2017 race in which Adrian Delia was elected PN leader, said the party had a responsibility to listen to what the people had said, and to rebuild itself into a party that could win faith at the next general election.
I am ready to play my part where and how it is needed.
“We cannot ignore or try to minimise the impact of what happened yesterday,” he said, in stark contrast to the message from the party leadership that the scale of the defeat was not as bad as some polls had predicted.
'Ready to play my part'
“I am ready to play my part where and how it is needed,” Dr Perici Calascione said, adding: “Nobody is bigger than the party and there is space within the party for everyone.”
Dr Delia has pledged to remain in his post and build towards the next general election despite a 42,600-vote gap between the PN and the Labour Party at last Saturday’s election. He said the party had made inroads and that some polls had predicted a gap of around 70,000 votes.
However, the tone of the leadership’s response rubbed some the wrong way. On Sunday, notices were spotted on the doors of PN clubs in different localities: 'We deserve better'.
Lawrence Zammit calls for Delia to quit
Misco director Lawrence Zammit, closely associated with former Nationalist administrations, told Newsbook on Monday that Dr Delia should resign given the scale of the defeat.
“This is a result which shows that he does not have the respect and backing of the Maltese electorate. If he stays, I fear the PN will keep getting these results,” Mr Zammit said.
He said the poor showing pointed to a party in regression, and said a radical overhaul was required.
“If the PN does not carry out a radical, honest and meaningful stock-take, the party will not only be short changing its voters, it will also be torpedoing the country,” he said.