PN leadership election result a sign of party chaos – Abela

Prime Minister Robert Abela has congratulated Alex Borg on winning the race to become the next leader of the Nationalist Party, while calling the outcome of the election a draw. 

Borg dramatically clinched the PN leadership in the early hours of Sunday morning, defeating Adrian Delia by just 44 votes. 

Speaking at a Labour Party event in Valletta on Sunday, Abela congratulated Borg  — but also Borg's rival Adrian Delia, for achieving what the prime minister characterised as a draw. 

“This is the third PN leader in five years, if you don’t count the leaders they’ve had pulling the strings from behind the scenes,” Abela told the crowd.  

“Everyone knows that they wanted someone else,” the Prime Minister added, arguably referring to European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, who in June excluded herself from the leadership race despite enjoying widespread popularity.  

The result, Abela said, showed that the PN was truly split in two. “When you analyse the party, you see that they don’t even know who they want to lead it, let alone what they stand for. Yesterday’s vote was a sign of chaos.” 

The Prime Minister called Borg a leader without a position and without support. 

“We aren’t going to wait for PN to resolve its latest round of chaos. The responsibility we have had has grown even further. We must continue to appeal to all voters. Trust is hard to gain but can be lost in a second,” he said, while warning against complacency. 

The Prime Minister was addressing a Labour Party event in Valletta. Photo: DOI.

During the course of his speech, the Prime Minister highlighted actions the Labour government had taken over the years, while making several pledges. 

The government, he said, was committed to introducing leave for parents whose children were undergoing treatment in Mater Dei Hospital’s Neonatal and Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. 

According to Abela, a new convention centre is also in the pipeline and will be developed in collaboration with the private sector.  

And an upcoming pilot project will see two of the country’s beaches – one in Malta and one in Gozo – transformed into no-smoking zones. 

Meanwhile, further improvements to the management of Comino will be made next year, after a booking system was introduced in May. According to Malta Tourism Authority figures, the busiest day at the Blue Lagoon this summer saw 68 per cent fewer visitors than the peak day last year. 

Turning to the expansion of the Malta Freeport in Birżebbuġa, which is now at an advanced stage, Abela said he “would not rest” until an even bigger land reclamation project was announced. 

On the upcoming budget, Abela said corporate tax would be cut to help small businesses continue in their role as the backbone of the economy. A tax reduction on profits up to €250,000 was among budget proposals issued by the Chamber of SMEs yesterday.

The Prime Minister added that the elderly would see yet another leap in their quality of life. 

“We are moving towards a budget that will have the best social investment ever,” he said.