‘What happens off-camera is more important' as PN council kicks off

All eyes will be on Pietà today as the Nationalist Party formally begins the process of electing a new leader, with no candidate yet officially declaring their intention to run.

The PN General Council is set to meet at party headquarters to outline the procedures and confirm the rules of the election.

But what happens off-camera is far more important.

“While all the speeches are going, the important stuff will be going on in the corridors. Anyone considering contesting the election will be trying to figure out if they have support or not,” one PN insider told Times of Malta.

“A cigarette on the roof, a quick coffee or a meeting in a corner will be most important for would-be candidates,” another said.

“Potential candidates would have started to make calls and meet people beforehand, but the council is a great opportunity to see if you stand a chance.”

A survey among PN members leaked to Times of Malta showed Gozitan MP Alex Borg as the most popular choice to become leader, with former leader Adrian Delia in second place. Former MP Franco Debono came third.

A vast majority of party members, MPs and officials were initially hoping Roberta Metsola would return to Malta and take over the Nationalist Party after Bernard Grech’s surprise decision to step down.

But the European Parliament president threw cold water on that idea last weekend when she announced that she would complete her term in the EU and so would not contest the leadership.

Since then, several other potential successors, including PN MP Darren Carabott, party veteran and MP Beppe Fenech Adami, and Malta Chamber CEO Marthese Portelli, said they would not run.

Though Borg and Delia are the two names being touted most at this stage, the pair, known to be close associates, remained non-committal.

Delia and Borg met on Friday afternoon to discuss the leadership and privately agreed not to contest each other and to back one another, PN sources said.

Among the favourites to take over the leadership are Gozo MP Alex Borg and former party leader Adrian Delia. Photo: Facebook

'Next election will not be a one-man show'

“What they haven’t agreed is who of the two will contest for the PN leadership. But it’s also becoming clear that the next election will not be a one-man show.”

Another figure mentioned by officials as a possible successor is Mark Anthony Sammut. The MP and transport shadow minister had initially ruled himself out, but after Metsola announced she would not contest, Sammut said “the scenario has now changed”.

Franco Debono, a former MP who left politics in 2013 following an acrimonious breakup with the PN government, has also flirted with the idea.

Party insiders say potential candidates are carefully weighing whether it is worth contesting the PN leadership, given the risk of an early exit should Labour secure another landslide victory.

The leadership race is unfolding with a general election due within 21 months, though the date ultimately lies in the prime minister’s hands.

The general council is the PN’s “highest organ” according to the party’s statute. It brings together MPs, MEPs, local councillors, regional presidents, and officials elected by district and sectional committees. The number of delegates reaches into the hundreds.

In the event of only one candidate submitting his or her nomination for the PN leadership, it will be the General Council which will vote on Grech’s successor. If there are two candidates, then the paid-up members will get to decide.

And if there are more than two candidates a vote will first be taken by the General Council followed by the top two candidates facing a run-off election where party members will vote.

Even though paid-up members are far more numerous, many councillors are seen as having considerable influence within the party.