PN plans to have both deputy leaders, new statute by January 2027

The Nationalist Party will have both deputy leaders installed and its statute finalised by January, Opposition leader Alex Borg has said.

Speaking to the media outside parliament on Tuesday, Borg said the party would first amend the statute's provisions on deputy leaders, then hold elections for the two posts, and complete the full statute afterwards. 

"The amendments must first go through consultation and the general council, but the plan is to have the two deputy leaders and the statute by January 2027," he said on Tuesday.

He also said that elections would take place "within the coming four to five weeks".

Asked how the vote could come before the statute is rewritten, Borg said the election was part of the reforms but a lighter process. The PN currently has one deputy leader, but Borg had pledged to introduce a second as part of wide-ranging reforms to the party structures.

Borg had confirmed his plans to once more have two deputy leaders, one focused on party affairs and another on parliamentary work as was previously the case, when he contested the party leadership last year, and after last May’s general election, he confirmed his plans to propose changes to the party statute to once more create two deputy leader positions.

However, he said the party wanted to go into the first general election with its deputy leaders in place and a completely new statute.

So far, Nationalist MP Mark Anthony Sammut has not ruled out contesting either deputy leadership post once the statute is amended, when asked by the newspaper Illum.