Outcome of PN election is correct, commission says, after Delia campaign letter

Updated 8.02pm with Delia's comments

The Nationalist Party has doubled down on its recent leadership election results, following revelations that the campaign of defeated candidate Adrian Delia had questioned the eligibility of some voters.

Delia’s campaign had suggested that “ineligible” voters may have cast their ballot during the PN leadership election, according to a leaked letter sent Monday to the party’s leadership commissioner, seen by Times of Malta.

The letter said Delia’s team had identified 33 people who appeared on the final list of eligible voters, despite never having appeared on previous lists, with nine reportedly banned from voting, among other claims.

In a statement shortly after the claims were made public, the PN said the “outcome of the PN Leadership election is correct”, while stressing that both candidates had agreed to the list of voters before the elections were held.

Addressing the claims, the party said “the allegations raised in the letter had already been addressed in a meeting held by the commission with the candidates and their representatives on Saturday evening”.

“The commission has examined the allegations made and, following its investigation, declares that the outcome of the election for the leader of the Partit Nazzjonalista is correct.”

The letter was signed by PN election commissioner Mario Callus.

On Sunday, Prime Minister Robert Abela congratulated Borg while pointing to his razor-thin win as “a sign of chaos”, describing the new PN leader as without a position and without support.

'People who say I am contesting result don't know me'

In a Facebook post later Monday evening, Delia said: “Whoever is alleging that I am contesting the result of the election for Leader of the Nationalist Party doesn't know what they are saying and even less do they know me”.

The letter to the PN electoral commissioner was signed by Delia’s manager Paul Borg.