Marlene Farrugia suggests amending party statute and launching fresh PN elections

If it truly wants to become a people’s party, the Nationalist Party must suspend its leadership election and amend the party’s statute to allow all of its members to vote directly for their new leader.

“This way, the party can ensure the demise of cliques,” Partit Demorkratiku leader Marlene Farrugia has declared.

Farrugia she has been critical of the four candidates, which according to her are “non-starters”.

She has also always been wary of ‘cliques’, accusing the Labour Party of being controlled by one before proceeding to resign from the party, set up her own and then join the PN in “a coalition” that saw PD candidates listed on the PN’s ballot sheet.

The PD leader is urging the Nationalist Party to allow all members to vote for the candidates. As the statute currently dictates, paid-up members will only be given a choice of two: the election is divided in two which will see the general council vote for two candidates, who will then proceed to face the paid-up members.

The first election with the four candidates will take place on September 2, whilst the second election, with two candidates, is scheduled for September 16.

The statute only allows members to vote if they have been paying their membership for at least two years.

Farrugia is suggesting that a membership bid is launched, which widens people’s participation. The election for leader would be held in early 2018, whilst Simon Busuttil would remain interim leader.

“Things as they stand do not make sense,” Farrugia complained on Facebook. “We, the PD members, stuck our necks out together with the PN in the most trying times of Malta’s contemporary period. We were elected to parliament on the PN ticket. And yet, we cannot contest the leadership election or any other positions and we are not even able to vote.”

The PD joined the PN to make up the ‘Forza Nazzjonali’, with Farrugia now insisting that it is in the national interest that the country has a strong opposition, ready to govern as soon as possible.

“Do you think that any of the four candidates are going to give the country what it needs at the moment?” Farrugia asked, making what she thinks of Adrian Delia, Chris Said, Alex Perici Calascione and Frank Portelli amply clear.

The PD leader, who this morning held a press conference on the change of use at land at SmartCity, pointed out that none of the candidates have spoken about the subject.

“I don’t need to explain why [the subject was not discussed],” Farrugia added.

She also went on to add that those who want the “PN to evolve into a political force”, know what to do.