Nationalist Party executive committee president Alex Perici Calascione on Friday welcomed a “constructive debate” about how to go about reforming the party.

The PN said in a statement on Thursday after a meeting of the executive committee that the party would be embarking on the second phase of its reforms, aimed at renewing and strengthening it.

Speaking to Times of Malta, Dr Perici Calascione said the meeting did not delve into the actual reforms, but rather centred on whether it made sense to hold elections for key roles such as the secretary general prior to implementing these reforms. 

Dr Perici Calascione said Louis Galea, who was brought in to spearhead these reforms, gave a rundown about the work he had carried out since being appointed in July.

A concrete set of proposals

Dr Galea told the committee that he had met whoever he needed to meet, from the bottom of the PN’s structures upwards.

The PN will now analyse all the feedback and come up with a concrete set of proposals by the end of the year.

Dr Perici Calascione said these proposals would then by thrashed out and adopted by March, so that elections could then take place under the PN’s reformed statute.

Meetings of the PN’s executive have in the past descended into chaos.

In July, the party’s former media chief Pierre Portelli resigned following a fiery session during which he hit out at the media, certain PN MPs, as well as assassinated journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. His remarks led several people to leave the meeting in disgust, and Mr Portelli resigned shortly after.

Dr Perici Calascione said Thursday’s meeting was constructive, with Dr Galea’s clout helping steer things along.

He acknowledged there was concern about how the postponement of internal elections would be perceived, as some queried whether it could prejudice the reform process before it even began.

The committee unanimously approved the motion to extend the mandate of the PN’s current officials, committees and branches up to March 31.