MP who backed Delia in no-confidence vote to support Comodini Cachia as opposition leader

A Nationalist MP will be telling president George Vella that he supports Therese Comodini Cachia for leader of the Opposition despite having supported PN leader Adria Delia in a no-confidence vote on Tueday

One of the Nationalist MPs who supported Adrian Delia in a vote of confidence during a PN parliamentary group meeting on Tuesday, is now reportedly going to back Therese Comodini Cachia as leader of the opposition, MaltaToday has learned.

Sources have confirmed that following numerous conversations, meetings and video conferences today, one of the 10 MPs that backed Delia on Tuesday has now been convinced to join the 17 MPs who voted against the PN leader.

Of the 28 PN MPs, David Agius, Robert Arrigo, Frederick Azzopardi, Anthony Bezzina, Robert Cutajar, Maria Deguara, Mario Galea, Carm Mifsud Bonnici, Clyde Puli and Edwin Vassallo supported Delia in the no-confidence vote.

But sources said that one of these MPs has since expressed disappointment at Delia’s refusal to compromise and closing the door on any kind of dialogue with the dissenting MPs.

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Other sources said that MPs are fearing the possibility of more accusations being levied against Delia, in some form or other, following the publication of leaked Whatsapp messages that allegedly showed how Delia conversed with murder suspect Yorgen Fenech last year. The chats, which were published by The Sunday Times of Malta, sparked outrage among PN MPs, a majority of whom insisted Delia's position was no longer tenable after he engaged with Fenech when it was known that he owned 17 Black.

President George Vella today continued summoning Nationalist Party MPs to gauge whether they have confidence in Adrian Delia as Opposition leader.

Vella started the process yesterday after Opposition MPs Chris Said and Claudette Buttigieg went to him to trigger the process to remove Delia from his constitutional role.

The MPs also proposed Therese Comodini Cachia as Delia’s replacement after an earlier attempt to convince Claudio Grech fell flat.

After the vote, Delia vowed to stay on as party leader and yesterday evening insisted he was still Opposition leader.