Bernard Grech will not step down, says he will contest PN leadership in party election

Nationalist Party leader Bernard Grech says ‘PN is still here’ despite Labour landslide, and will contest party leadership

Bernard Grech meets voters on his way to vote on Saturday, 26 March 2022
Bernard Grech meets voters on his way to vote on Saturday, 26 March 2022

Nationalist Party leader Bernard Grech has announced he will recontest the party leadership, saying he will not resign.

Despite being weakened by a hammering from Labour’s third landslide victory, Grech, who assumed the leadership in mid-2020, said he will be a candidate for party leader in the election mandated by the PN statute.

The PN has to elect a new leader after every general election, according to its statute.

“It is evident that despite the loss, the PN is still a strong party and still here. I thank the thousands of voters who chose the PN and gave us their confidence, despite the power of incumbency and every attempt to influence the vote even with tax relief cheques.

“Instead of a two-thirds majority that Labour was projecting months ago, today we have a Labour victory but still the PN is here. We had a positive campaign, that put across our vision,” Grech said in a recorded message broadcast on the PN’s television channel.

“We think this is the politics that we want to keep pushing in the future, with responsibility, and to give a voice to the thousands who gave us their confidence, as well as those who did not participate in this election,” he said, referring to the low 85.5% turnout.

“I will stay on, to give my service... I will contest the leadership once again to propose an alternative government.”