Bernard Grech wants Metsola, Giglio as deputy leaders but finds little room for manoeuvre

The move comes ahead of a PN General Council in July, but there is no election in such a party council, because the party statute mandates the term of the leadership positions till after each general election

Nationalist MEP and EP vice-president Roberta Metsola
Nationalist MEP and EP vice-president Roberta Metsola

Nationalist Party leader Bernard Grech has tapped the shoulders of popular MEP and European Parliament vice-president Roberta Metsola, and lawyer and up-and-coming candidate Joe Giglio, to consider running for deputy leaders of the PN. 

But despite his approach, both possible contenders are hoping to see David Agius and Robert Arrigo – elected as deputy leaders for parliamentary, and party affairs respectively after Adrian Delia’s election as leader – step down from their posts willingly. 

At least one of the incumbents has communicated to MPs of his reservations that it should be Bernard Grech himself to make his wishes clearly, and personally, to them so that they can resign and make way for new blood. 

Joe Giglio
Joe Giglio

The move comes ahead of a PN General Council in July, but there is no election in such a party council, because the party statute mandates the term of the leadership positions till after each general election. It means that at the first General Council after a general election, the posts are vacated for a new party election campaign to be chosen or reconfirmed by all paid-up members. 

Several other younger candidates have been asked to express an interest in taking over other established posts: such as secretary-general Francis Zammit Dimech, executive committee president Alex Perici Calascione, administrative council president Carm Mifsud Bonnici, and General Council president Censu Galea. All bar Perici Calascione served under the Fenech Adami and Gonzi administration as ministers. 

Possible favourites for such posts include young lawyer Martina Caruana, Joe Grech, the president of the PN’s youth organ, MEP candidate Roselyn Borg Knight, as well as Mark Anthony Sammut, formerly president of the executive committee before resigning in protest at the Delia leadership. 

Despite the attempts from Grech’s team to spring possible contenders into action, it is a fact that Grech himself failed to move early on in 2020 upon his election, to convince Agius and Arrigo to step down. Arrigo is currently serving as chairman of Media.link, the party’s media arm. He has already told Maltatoday that he was “not glued to my chair”.