Updated 2.17pm to add PN electoral commission statement

A call by PN deputy leader Robert Arrigo to delay the PN leadership election over COVID-19 fears has been dismissed by the party's electoral commission, which said the request has no basis.

Arrigo made his call in a letter to the PN general council on Tuesday morning, just hours after one of the two candidates, Bernard Grech, announced he is on self-imposed quarantine after his wife tested positive for COVID-19. Grech did not say whether he has been tested for the virus.

The election, which Grech is contesting against embattled leader Adrian Delia, is set to take place over a number of days. Voting will close on October 3

The deputy leader told Times of Malta that he was “worried” as the election, which he described as a “mass event” was taking place at a time when Malta still had “high numbers” of new COVID-19 cases. 

“Even a candidate is in quarantine and no risk assessment has been carried out. I am worried,” he said. 

In a statement, Grech’s campaign team said it was aware of Arrigo’s letter but insisted the PN “needs to overcome this period of uncertainty as soon as possible”. 

“Every attempt to make this period longer certainly isn’t in the party's, its members' or the country’s interest,” Grech’s team said. 

Adrian Delia also appeared to disagree with Arrigo's call.

"The faster the PN goes through this process the faster we start concentrating on parliamentary work which is upcoming," he told Times of Malta. 

However in all cases one should follow medical instructions and direction first and foremost, he added.

The PN electoral commission said on Tuesday afternoon that the election will take place as scheduled and it was dismissing Arrigo's request since there was no basis for it. 

The commission said the election had been organised with COVID-19 in mind, It was for this reason that voting will be held over six days, instead of one day as was the case in 2017. Voting will be held over several hours at several locations. 

The fact that the wife of one of the candidates had tested positive changed nothing in as far as preparations were concerned, the commission said. 

Directives of the health authorities will be followed during the voting. The polling stations will be fumigated, and voters may produce their own pencils or pens. Should there be a queue, social distancing will be observed and all will be required to wear a mask or visor. 

Voters will have their temperature taken before entering a polling station.

 

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