Half the voters in Nationalist Party leadership race are over 65

The PN leadership will be largely decided by those aged 65 and over, as they make up more than half of the Nationalist Party’s paid-up members.

Internal figures shown to Times of Malta reveal that some 13,000 (52 per cent) of the 25,000 or so members, are over 65.

PN members (referred to as tesserati) over 45 make up over 80 per cent of the total, meaning those who choose Bernard Grech’s successor are overwhelmingly from older age brackets.

In contrast, only 32 paid-up members are under the age of 20, less than one per cent of voters.

On September 6, PN paid-up members will choose whether Adrian Delia or Alex Borg will lead the party into the next general election.

Sources from the camps of MPs Delia and Borg said the two PN leadership candidates are tailoring their message to the party’s demographics.

“Of course, those aged 65 and over are more conservative than the average PN voter, so when it comes to issues like abortion, cannabis legislation, and so on, you have to make sure not to alienate them,” one source told Times of Malta.

Another source said the voter demographic dictates how to go about the campaign and strategy.

“That includes what sort of events you hold and at what time, what language you use, and how to present the campaign. It’s not about changing the message but how you wrap it up and what platforms you use to promote it.”

Under Nationalist Party rules, only paid-up members of the party can vote. To vote, adults must have paid their membership fee (€10 a year) for at least the last three years. Those under 18 need only to have joined the party’s official ranks for the last six months.

Members must be at least 16 to vote.

It was Simon Busuttil who, during his tenure, changed the way the party chooses its leader. Before Busuttil’s time, it was the general council that elected what many in the PN refer to as ‘il-kap’.

While many applauded the change to open up the vote, others regret that change.

“The general council is a wider reflection of society and is designed to include youth and local representatives whose job it is to listen to what fellow party supporters are thinking,” one party official told Times of Malta.

“On the other hand, paid-up members are a small minority of hardcore PN voters. Their views are important but maybe not a good reflection of our voters.”

They said that members of the council are more inclined to consider the candidate they believe is best for the party and the country instead of who they like themselves.

General council PN's 'highest organ'

The general council is the PN’s ‘highest organ’, according to the party’s statute. It brings together MPs, MEPs, local councillors, regional presidents, and officials elected by district and sectional committees. The number of delegates reaches into the hundreds.

In a shock decision last June, Bernard Grech announced his resignation as leader of the Nationalist Party, less than five years into the job.

Former party leader and current health spokesperson Adrian Delia was the first to announce his intention to take over. Soon after, Gozo spokesperson Alex Borg said he would take on his former mentor for the leadership role.

The formal nominations opened after Delia and Borg were both given the green light in a due diligence procedure that ended Tuesday.

That nomination needs to include secondments from three MPs, five PN local councillors, 10 members of the executive committee, 50 members of the general council and 50 paid-up members.

Both candidates are currently gathering those signatures.