Staunch Adrian Delia’s supporters are mounting pressure on a Nationalist Party executive committee meeting on Tuesday to expel dissenting MPs in reaction to their decision to declare they have no confidence in the party leader.

But MP Chris Said, who moved the motion against Delia, insisted that the 19 MPs, who backed it, have no intention to split or break the party.

The meeting this week, which has been called by the PN leader himself, could have long-lasting repercussions on the party. If the anti-Delia MPs are expelled, the PN would be left with just 11 out of 67 MPs – its lowest representation in the House of Representatives since 1947.

Executive committee president Alex Perici Calascione confirmed to Times of Malta that Tuesday’s agenda includes “the current political situation” but also the appointment of the Ethics, Disciplinary and Social Media Commission. However, the timing of the latter could be coincidental as it had been scheduled before the onset of the leadership crisis.

Perici Calascione said the executive committee was held on a regular basis, every month, but pointed out that in this case it had been requested by Delia following the no-confidence vote in the parliamentary group meeting.

Officials like Andre Grech, a staunch supporter of Delia, have called for the committee to convene to take disciplinary action against the 19 MPs who voted against Delia. His call was made on the strength of the argument that they breached the PN’s statute, which states that the leader should automatically assume the role of opposition leader if the party is not in government.

Despite losing the support of his parliamentary group, Delia has vowed to remain at the helm saying he was bound to serve the party after having been democratically elected by the party members in 2017 and reconfirmed by its highest organ, the general council, in July last year. The decision now lies with the president of the Republic.

You cannot file for divorce and keep living under the same roof

Sources within the Delia camp appear to be keen on the possibility of the dissenting MPs forming a splinter party, even if this would dash any lingering hopes which Delia might have of retaining his post as opposition leader.

“Given there is no chemistry between Delia and these 17 MPs it makes no sense for them to remain within the party,” they said.

“You cannot file for divorce and keep living under the same roof. Something has to give as we might self-destruct in the long run. Having two separate political entities would make it easier for both groups as well as the electorate to make their choice come the next general election,” a source said.

When contacted, MP Chris Said said MPs were forced to take such a measure after their concerns were ignored for months.

“Every step we take is difficult and painful but we’re convinced the PN will emerge stronger and will provide a strong opposition and eventually an alternative government.”

The historic perspective

Such a scenario would reduce the PN to its lowest parliamentary representation since 1947 when it had just seven MPs but remained the second-largest party. In this case, however, it could get one step worse if the dissenting MPs formed a party of their own as the PN would become the third-largest party in parliament for the first time since 1924.

In those days, the Partito Democratico Nazionalista, as it was called, had obtained five of the 32 seats up for grabs, making it the fourth party in parliament. Following the merger with the Unione Politica Maltese for the 1927 election, the PN took a leap forward as it alternated between being the party in government and the biggest opposition force.   

Splinter parties in Maltese politics have never struck a chord with the Maltese electorate.

The most notable example is the Malta Workers Party, which was formed in 1949 by the then prime minister Paul Boffa following the split in the Labour Party, which was in government. Within six years the party’s support dwindled and by 1955 it had been disbanded.

On the other side of the political spectrum, in 1959 Herbert Ganado had set up the Democratic Nationalist Party as a breakaway political force from the PN, in the wake of disagreements with then leader George Borg Olivier. However, it only managed to win four seats in the 1962 election and by 1966 it had been dissolved. Since then, no MP has managed to get elected unless on the PN or PL ticket, giving rise to a duopoly. However, this trend could soon be coming to a end. 

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