PN should have appointed an interim leader – Frank Portelli

Frank Portelli says that Simon Busuttil should not have stayed on as interim leader of the Nationalist Party after resigning after the general election loss.

Busuttil should have found someone like Louis Galea to lead the party temporarily in between his resignation and the election of the new leader, Portelli said.

Interviewed by The Malta Independent online editor Stephen Calleja, Portelli said that Busuttil is making mistakes, with the latest one being the attack on the integrity of Mr Justice Antonio Mizzi.

The PN will be seeking the recusal of Mr Justice Mizzi from hearing an appeals case filed by Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and six other people involved in the Panama Papers scandal. The appeal was filed after a magistrate ruled there are grounds for a criminal investigation.

Portelli says that just like Labour should not have given jobs to people during the election campaign as a caretaker government, Busuttil, as caretaker Opposition Leader, should not be taking important decisions that will have consequences on the party in the future.

In the interview, Portelli explains why he took the decision to enter the leadership race at the last minute, defends his criticism of the party over the past years and shares his views on gay people, migrants and the qualities of a political leader.