[WATCH] PN leadership race will require vetting of candidates, new statute lays down

Some of the salient changes to PN statute:

• Race for leader can be triggered after no confidence vote in general council
• New leadership committee to devise and implement political strategy
• New presidents for political research and for social dialogue
• Five new regional committees
• Foreigners can become party associate members

The Nationalist Party has introduced a mandatory vetting process for potential leadership candidates as part of approved changes to its statute on Thursday evening.

The PN's revised statute set outs that, if the party is brought to power in a general election, it must trigger a confirmation vote for its leader and deputy leader among party members and a leadership race if it loses.

Prior to this evening's general council the PN had proposed triggering a leadership election even if it won a general election. An amendment was approved to change this aspect of the statute..

Should the party remain or end up in Opposition after a general election, it has to hold an election for leader and deputy leader.

The statute now also lays down that, in the case of vote of no confidence by the general council in the party leader of deputy leader, a race for leader or deputy leader has to also be triggered within three months.

The changes were amongst a number of amendments laid out in a newly revised PN statute, which was unanimously approved during a general council meeting on Thursday, which was broadcast live on NET TV and Facebook. The council also hooked up remotely with Gozitan members.

The general council involved a healthy debate amongst those members present on the proposed statute, with a number of amendments being brought forward and discussed. It included the participation of Gozitan members via video conferencing.

The changes are a culmination of a year-long reform process headed by party stalwart Louis Galea. Galea’s task was to draw up a political reform to make the PN relevant to contemporary Maltese society, and to propose relevant changes.

The reform process was put in place following multiple major defeats for the party in local and European elections, together with a number of MaltaToday survey results which showed little to no improvement in performance, despite the 2017 change in leadership.

Amongst other changes, the statute revision will see the setting up a leadership committee, which will be charged with devising and implementing the party’s political strategy.

The committee is to be composed of the PN’s leader, deputy leader, general council president, secretary general, organisational executive secretary, and of two presidents for research and social dialogue.

The roles of president for political research and president for social dialogue are being newly created under the revised statute. The new statute will be modifying the role of secretary general, to focus it more on political work.

Three new permanent commissions - candidates, ethics and discipline, and electoral and data - will also be created. Clear parameters have been put in place for the vetting of candidates, including those vying to occupy official roles within the party.

The party’s general council will be charged with the role of being a “guardian of good governance within all party structures.”

The statute will be creating a new level of organisation at regions level through five new regional committee.

It will also be creating a distinction between the political leadership of the party and that of its commercial and financial arms.

Another notable change is the creation of a new category of party associate members for foreigners who are able to vote in local and European elections.

Addressing the general council after the new statute was adopted, Galea said the reform process was one of the best experiences of his life.

“The changes in the statute are the basis for us to start healing, starting from party members. It is now up to us to convince the people that we will truly renew and reform he said.”