The Nationalist Party’s dire financial situation and its declining popular support are putting off potential candidates interested in succeeding Antoine Zammit who resigned as treasurer, party sources say.
The law on party financing states that a political party has to have a treasurer or else it will not be allowed to field election candidates. But it sets no limit on the time within which the position must be filled in case of a resignation.
Mr Zammit, who owns a computer shop in Qormi, resigned on Sunday, less than two months into his term, in the wake of an embarrassing video he uploaded to YouTube in which he complained that adult channels were not accessible on IPTV.
Mr Zammit’s appointment by the executive committee last August had taken many in the party by surprise as he was unknown in political circles. His predecessor, David Camilleri, also resigned after a short term when he found himself embroiled in an internal power struggle.
A party source said Mr Zammit’s appointment showed the difficulty the PN was having to attract valid people willing to take over the financial administration of the party.
“With the party being millions in the red, despite resorting to drastic measures such as selling some of its clubs and downscaling its traditional Independence activities, the situation does not seem to be getting any better,” the source said.
He also pointed to opinion polls showing that the PN was still losing popular support among the electorate.
According to the PN statute, all party officials must be members of the executive committee, except the treasurer. This proviso is meant to give wider options to attract candidates with the right skills for a highly specialised role.
The party’s executive committee has not yet met to decide when interested candidates can submit their nomination. As well as being responsible for the administration of the party’s finances, the treasurer has a long list of obligations which came into force in 2016 with the enactment of the law on party finances.
Such responsibilities include providing a detailed breakdown of donations received by the party, submitting annual accounts for public scrutiny and ensuring compliance with the relevant provisions of the law.