Only 10 days ago, it seemed as though the Nationalist Party was heading towards some kind of stability following a successful ‘reform and renewal extraordinary general council meeting’. Vestiges of PN credibility were on the verge of being re-established.

But never has the axiom that a week is a long time in politics been truer. Within a few days, Times of Malta revealed a series of WhatsApp messages that in the course of 2019 PN leader  Adrian Delia had exchanged with mega-businessman Yorgen Fenech – the alleged mastermind behind the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia – after he had been exposed as the owner of secret company 17 Black.

A majority of PN MPs immediately called upon the general secretary to hold an urgent parliamentary group meeting. The knives were out for Delia, seen increasingly as a failure in the popularity polls and a magnet for claims that are doing more and more harm to his credibility, and by extension to the party. It was time to stem the damage. By Tuesday night, Delia had lost a vote of confidence taken by his MPs.

In a normal democracy, the leader would have done what was expected of him and stepped down at once. Instead, Delia has obdurately refused to do so on the grounds that he has done nothing wrong and that party councillors are behind him. 

But party councillors do not determine the fate of the leader of the opposition. According to the party statute, he can head the PN if the councillors continue to support him. In the House of Representatives, it is the country’s Constitution that counts.

The President of Malta is expected to revoke Delia’s appointment as opposition leader because he has ceased to command the support of the largest single group of members of the opposition.

In Delia’s place has stepped the former MEP and redoubtable lawyer Therese Comodini Cachia. Until that moment, the plight of the PN had never been more dire. The great party of Mizzi, Borg Olivier and Fenech Adami had lost its way. With her appointment, the party may be able to start clawing its way back to being a credible alternative government.

But a major obstacle still stands in its way. Unless Delia stands down as leader of the party, the PN could find itself led in parliament by one person while the party itself – its finances, electoral machinery, media and image – is headed by another.

Dual leadership is unprecedented. It would be a recipe for electoral, financial, organisational and administrative disaster. A divided PN would be unelectable.

The situation could become even worse if, not inconceivably, the party were to split in two, with one section supporting Delia and another finding natural allies in civil activist groups that share its political priorities.

The party has reached a historic crossroads. Its future – and, most importantly, the effectiveness of Malta’s democracy – rests with Delia.

In clinging to his position, he puts his own interests above those of party and country. He has based his stand on the specious and self-serving grounds of respecting the will of party members.

The reality, however, is that in our system of parliamentary democracy, the will of the people’s representatives is what carries the weight.

Delia must be made to recognise the harmful contradictions of his current position and depart, out of basic respect for the party he claims to love.

The alternative is the taking of another vote of confidence at the PN’s general council. This time, he cannot count on winning it.   

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.