The Malta Independent on Sunday
DELIA WINS THE DAY
Nationalist Party leadership contender Adrian Delia was awarded the highest number of votes by party councillors yesterday evening, placing him as the leading contender for the 16 September final vote in what has so far been a heated campaign.
In total, Delia was awarded 616 votes (46 per cent), Chris Said was awarded 425 votes (31 per cent), Alex Perici Calascione was awarded 296 votes (21 per cent) while Frank Portelli was only awarded 11 votes (one per cent).
Perici Calascione and Portelli are therefore eliminated, with Delia and Said set to face off in two weeks when the PN’s 22,000-odd party members are to cast their vote in the final round on 16 September. The candidate with the most votes will automatically win, in accordance with the party’s statute, without any particular threshold needing to be reached.
In total, Electoral Commission Head Joe Borg said, 1,354 cast their vote in the election, a 99% turnout. 128 of the votes cast were early votes. Of the 1,226 votes cast yesterday, 96 were in Gozo.
All councillors of Gozo voted, while just 13 councillors in Malta failed to cast their vote.
Adrian Delia addresses elated crowd
“Today democracy won,“Delia said to loud applause following his preliminary victory on the road to the 16 September final election.
“Today, the people’s will was genuinely heard. This process is still at the start,” he said, adding that the principles that underpin the party will be given new a new breath of life.”
He said that the PN has a historic choice before it: “We will work for this choice together. We must work from today to unite the party. I thank all candidates, my friends.”
Delia went on to congratulate each unsuccessful candidate by name. “Now that they are not in the running, I will do my best to win their trust,“he said.
“We will no longer employ divisive politics, but rather a united approach....we will not use divisive tactics, but we will gel together. From today on, we must show that all Nationalists have made a solemn promise that there is nobody bigger than the party. We must reach many people. We have a long road ahead, we have 22,000 people to reach.”
As Delia walked out to get into his car, the energetic crowd continued to follow him. The atmosphere was very close to that of a general election counting hall, with Delia’s supporters jumping and crowding out Dar Centrali’s entire entrance hall.
Asked by this newsroom whether he was surprised at having won by such a big margin, Delia said that he is honoured by the result and had not expected such overwhelming support.
‘I am proud of the result,’ Said says
“Despite the tough election, I have nothing to be ashamed of and I am proud of the result,” PN leadership contender Chris Said told the press in the result’s wake.
Said delivered comments to the press downstairs, away from the entrance hall which was predominantly filled with Delia’s supporters.
He thanked Frank Portelli and Alex Perici Calascione for their efforts.
Asked whether he would consider dropping out given the vote difference, Said explained that he doesn’t exclude anything, but so far has decided to remain in the running. He stressed that no candidate won an absolute majority tonight
Pressed on whether he will resign he excludes nothing in life.
He said that paid members have a responsibility as they are electing the next potential prime minister and the leader of the opposition.
He appealed to party members to continue listening and evaluating the two candidates over the next two weeks: “No matter what the result is, I will accept it. I will always be loyal to the PN and continue to work with the party. I have been with the party through good times and bad, whatever happens I will be loyal to the party and to the next leader if I am not chosen.“
He said that should he be elected he pledged to follow through with his electoral programme.
Frank Portelli and Alex Perici Calascione
Neither defeated candidates Portelli nor Perici Calascione could be seen following the announcement of the results. Portelli took to Facebook to congratulate Delia.
Perici Calascione also took to social media to post his reaction: “Now it is all about bringing us all together. Respect to Frank [Portelli], Chris [Said] and Adrian [Delia].