Updated 10:30am
Nationalist Party leader Adrian Delia has confirmed a vote on his leadership will be taken in the General Council on July 27, but was non-committal about resigning if the result is not in his favour.
“The decision to remove the party leader is in the hands of the paid-up members,” he told journalists following a six-hour meeting at PN headquarters.
“This doesn’t mean all items or petitions cannot be discussed,” he added.
Asked what the next step would be if the General Council voted for the leadership to carry responsibility and leave, he said he would not speculate on what steps he would take.
However, the decision of the paid-up members is what counted, he insisted.
Why is Adrian Delia facing a confidence vote?
Criticism of the party leader reached fever pitch in June following a disastrous showing at MEP and local council elections, which the PN lost by the largest margin in its history.
Dr Delia has faced internal party criticism from the beginning of his time as PN leader back in 2017. Despite those rumblings of discontent, he has steadfastly refused to consider stepping aside, insisting his mandate was to lead the party to the next general election.
How did this confidence vote come about?
The push to force a vote on Dr Delia's leadership was spearheaded by entrepreneur and former electoral candidate Ivan Bartolo, who also sits on the PN executive.
Adrian Delia is surrounded by supporters following his election as PN leader in 2017. Photo: Mark Zammit CordinaMr Bartolo has argued that if Dr Delia wins a confidence vote, critics must "back him up or back off"; if he loses, he should quit and allow the party to "turn the page".
Who supports Adrian Delia?
Dr Delia was the first PN leader to be elected directly by party members, following a change in leadership election rules introduced by his predecessor Simon Busuttil.
He can count on a core group of supporters among the PN grassroots, and his backers sought to drive that point home when they presented a petition expressing confidence in Dr Delia which was signed by almost 5,000 people.
Who opposes Adrian Delia?
Dr Delia faces far more criticism within the party's official organs and parliamentary group, among what he himself has described as the PN "establishment".
A number of sitting PN MPs have made no secret of their distaste for the current leader, and the feeling appears to be mutual.
The threat of a parliamentary rebellion against Dr Delia came and went back in January, following allegations about the party leader's private life. But a disastrous electoral showing in May brought party divisions back to the surface.
Since then, the party's executive committee president, Mark Anthony Sammut, has resigned and official sections within the party, including its youth wing MŻPN, have made it clear they are unhappy with the way the PN is being run.
Will the July 27 vote determine Delia's future?
Dr Delia's backers insist that it will not. They have said that the party's statute does not allow the General Council to unseat a party leader, save for a three-month period following a general election.
On Thursday, Dr Delia himself indicated he thinks similarly, telling journalists “the decision to remove the party leader is in the hands of the paid-up members”.
However, he said, he would now be taking into consideration the calls and "pain" of those who signed petitions calling for him to leave.
On the other hand, other PN members have argued that it would be unprecedented for a party leader to remain in place after losing the confidence of the party's General Council. Doing so, they say, would broaden existing rifts within the party even further.
The July 27 General Council meeting will not only discuss the vote of confidence but will discuss “wider issues” raised in the petitions.