Metsola offers support to PN but won’t come back from Brussels anytime soon

The European Parliament President reached out to PN leader Bernard Grech earlier on results day to offer her continued support

Roberta Metsola
Roberta Metsola

European Parliament president and Nationalist MEP Roberta Metsola offered her support to Bernard Grech after the PN suffered a dismal result in Malta’s 2022 election. 

Sources close to the PN said Metsola spoke to Grech earlier on results day to offer her continued support however she can. 

However, the EP president will not be abandoning her Brussels post anytime soon, as some Nationalist candidates might wish. 

Nationalist Party deputy leader Robert Arrigo took to Twitter after the landslide Labour victory and posted “Please help us Roberta”, in reference to Roberta Metsola.  

His tweet came shortly after the current Nationalist Party leader Bernard Grech said he would contest the coming PN leadership election. The Nationalist Party is required to hold a leadership contest after every election loss.  

Sources said that while Metsola offered continuous support, she would only help to the extent that her role as EP President allows her to do so. 

Metsola has managed to appeal to both sides of the PN divide. She was re-elected in the 2019 European elections with a massive 38,000 votes, and almost three years later went on to become the president of the European Parliament. 

MaltaToday had asked Metsola when first elected president whether she would consider a comeback to the local political scene, possibly as Nationalist Party leader. 

She avoided answering the question directly, stating instead that she plays her part in the local political scene by representing Malta at EU level.