PN leadership not on agenda, as executive committee expected to convene on Tuesday evening

Former party secretary general Louis Galea wrote to executive committee president Alex Perici Calascione on Thursday, asking the party executive to take all necessary steps to choose a new leadership team 

File Photo
File Photo

The Nationalist Party’s Executive Committee is expected to convene on Tuesday, following former party secretary general Louis Galea’s letter to Alex Perici Calascione.

The committee will be meeting at around 6 pm at the party’s headquarters in Pieta, with the meeting’s published agenda showing that the committee will be discussing the nominations for several top posts within the PN.

Following abysmal results in MaltaToday’s survey last Sunday, party leader Adrian Delia once again faced calls for his resignation.

The PN also faced widespread resignations from top officials within the party, with deputy leader Robert Arrigo, Secretary General Clyde Puli and President of the General Council Kristy Debono all handing in their notice.

Veteran politician Louis Galea sent a letter to Executive Committee President Alex Perici Calascione, telling him to take the necessary steps for a new leadership team to be chosen for the party.

"Louis Galea sent a letter last Thursday to Delia saying that in the circumstances he believed it best to do them now, and at the same time give a sign to any new blood if they want to contest. He advised Adrian, but is obviously a request that I had to accept and I did,” Perici Calascione said.

Tuesday's Executive Committee agenda
Tuesday's Executive Committee agenda

While the meeting will be discussing the post vacancy, the election itself will not be held on Tuesday, as according to party statute, there is a process where one needs to appoint an electoral commission and issue a call for those interested to submit their nominations.

Several positions in the party are also reserved for the executive committee to elect, and these are the secretary general, the president of the executive, President of the Administrative Council, Treasurer and International Secretary.

"Once appointed these are positions that are held for two years, and are then up for election. These two years had expired last November," he explained.

Despite ongoing calls for Delia’s resignation, the party leadership has not been placed on the agenda.

"Unless something unplanned happens, the committee is not expected to discuss the party leadership in the sense of what is happening at the moment in the Parliamentary Group. It could be brought up as a matter arising, but it is not on the agenda. The agenda is set to tackle what the Statute obliges the Executive Committee to tackle," Perici Calascione said.

He also explained that the posts of leader and deputy leader are remit to the general council first, and then of the PN paid members.

Deputy leader Robert Arrigo took to Facebook this morning to announce that he doesn’t want to do with anything in the present or reformed PN, showing his intentions of cutting the decades long tie he had with the party.

“I am not interested in any form of post in any structure of the present PN or a reformed PN,” he said.

Arrigo’s last day as deputy leader will be on March 29, with him insisting that he is staying there “to safeguard the wages/salaries of the employees.”

When asked whether Arrigo’s post has been discussed, the executive committee president said that it is in the remit of the general council to decide.

"I for one, personally, would greatly wish for Robert to reconsider and stay on. This is my personal wish and I know it is shared by a number of people," he said.

Asked about the electoral commission, he said that it is appointed by the executive, with him hoping that the date of the election is set for one or two weeks’ time.

On Sunday morning, Delia insisted that he is still determined to lead the party forward, calling out his internal adversaries for making the feud public.

“Labour too, were divided - even more than the PN - but such divisions were kept secret,” he said.

READ ALSO: The Delia paradox: lame duck or chaos?