Nationalist Party reform chief Louis Galea on Saturday said he had met with party leader Adrian Delia at length to discuss the situation within the party. 

In a statement, the former minister and MP also moved to clarify that his recommendation that the party needed a “new leadership team” referred to key posts within the party. 

Dr Galea issued the public statement following reports by Labour media arm One that he had held meetings with party official Alex Perici Calascione, MP Karol Aquilina and former executive committee president Mark Anthony Sammut. 

The report described the three as being among a group plotting to have Adrian Delia removed as PN leader. 

In his statement, Dr Galea said he had met with Dr Delia “at length” to discuss the situation in the party. Mr Perici Calascione, Dr Aquilina and Mr Sammut had also wanted to discuss the present situation within the party and Dr Galea’s recommendation that the party executive should meet as soon as possible to “choose a new leadership team”.

“I explained to them that in my recommendations I am only referring to the executive committee’s competence to elect five officials, as provided by the current statute. The executive committee has no authority related to the election of a party leader,” Dr Galea said. 

He also insisted that the party needed to unite to return to its work in the interest of the country.

Dr Delia was elected PN leader in September 2017 through a vote of all the party’s paid-up members. He is the first PN leader to have been chosen through this method.  

He has survived a range of challenges to his leadership, and after winning a confidence vote last summer, asked Dr Galea to assess the party and recommend ways in which it could be reformed. 

Dr Delia this week received letters of resignation from the party’s president Kristy Debono, general secretary Clyde Puli and deputy leader Robert Arrigo. 

In an interview with Xarabank, the PN leader said he had not yet accepted the resignations but did not rule out receiving others in the coming days. 

During that interview, Dr Delia also dismissed suggestions that Dr Galea wanted him removed, saying he had appointed Dr Galea to “give me advice” and not to decide who should be party leader. 

In his Saturday statement, Dr Galea emphasised that he was carrying out his work to reform the PN in the open, “with the intention of renewing the party”.