PN leader must be chosen by its members - Adrian Delia
Delia disavows talk of 'deals or arrangements' to fill party leadership post
The Nationalist Party’s next leader must be chosen by its members, not through “deals or arrangements”, Adrian Delia has said in his first public comments about the party’s leadership vacuum.
“The party does not belong to any one person—it belongs to the Tesserati [members]. They are our strength - present in every town, every street, and close to everyday citizens. Their voice is the only voice that matters. It is the Tesserati and only the Tesserati who decide and their choice respected,” Delia said.
The PN was thrust into a measure of panic this week after Bernard Grech announced he would be stepping down as leader to allow the party to start a “new chapter”.
Roberta Metsola is widely considered to be the party’s favoured candidate to assume the party leadership. But Metsola, whose presidency of the European Parliament runs until 2027, has yet to make her intentions clear.
Sources say she has been privately floating the idea of retaining her EP role while also entering the PN’s leadership structure. Malta Today reported that one such plan would see Delia returned as Opposition leader while she became party leader – a plan constitutional experts say is fraught with legal difficulties.
Delia could opt to mount a leadership bid on his own, without Metsola. A February poll by Times of Malta found he ranked third when respondents were asked who should lead the PN, behind Grech and Metsola.
In his statement on Saturday morning, the PN MP stopped short of ruling out such a bid.
“Leading a party demands significant personal, profession and family sacrifice—something I have experienced firsthand. It calls for putting aside personal interest in favour of the greater good of the party and the country - now more than ever.”
Delia acknowledged the “many stories and speculation” circulating about the PN leadership and his role in it.
“Decisions of this weight are never taken lightly. They require reflection, time, and space,” he said.
He said he was “encouraged” by the energy and passion many had shown for a renewed PN and said he wanted to see the party rooted in values of mutual respect and free of personal attacks.