Bernard Grech submits nomination for PN leader post, publishes electoral manifesto

Bernard Grech has officially submitted his nomination for the post of PN leader.

In a short statement, the PN’s Electoral Commission said that it had received Grech’s nomination, which was handed to its chairperson Peter Fenech on Tuesday.

The Commission said that it had verified the application and confirmed that it is valid.

Hence, Grech was informed that his nomination was accepted and that he is officially a candidate in the election for PN leader.

Grech’s nomination was seconded by MPs Kevin Cutajar, Claudette Buttigieg and Ryan Callus.

According to the PN statute, a nomination must be seconded by 3 MPs, five local councillors, 15 members of the Executive Committee, 50 members of the General Council and 50 party members (tesserati).

Grech had an additional 1,100 signatures over and above the required number, a member of his campaign team said. These signatures were collected on Sunday in five localities; Mosta, Sliema, Mġarr, Tarxien and Victoria.

Grech is the only contender to Adrian Delia for the post of PN leader, an election which came about after several weeks of internal turmoil within the party.

Both Grech and Delia have satisified the party’s due diligence process and were deemed as eligible to contest for the PN leadership post in the upcoming election, which will take place on 3 October.

In a later statement, Grech issued his electoral manifesto titled ‘My promise’.

The first item listed in the document is the need to unite the party.

“To achieve unity, the party needs a leadership that works to continue winning the trust of the people.” He pledged that, if elected, he will work continuously to achieve such unity.

The leadership hopeful’s manifesto also highlights that there would be space for everyone within the PN. “Unity in every organisation is built on the fact that everyone feels that they have a voice, and that their participation is appreciated.”

He pledged that every MP, party official as well as new people be included in the PN’s work, and that he will sit down and speak with those who do not back him in order to find what unites them.

He also spoke about making the party credible, promising to meet anyone interested to listen and understand what they want the PN to be. He said that this will result in a credible, trusted PN that listens, discusses and identifies what the problems are, and finds solutions for them.

The manifesto also addressed youths, and promises that he will work to attract more youths to the PN and within all its structures, including as candidates to contest elections.

The manifesto also highlights modern methods of communication. “While keeping and strengthening the party’s traditional media – Net TV, Net FM and the party’s newspapers – we must also invest in the future of media, that is online. Our media must be content driven and adaptable with modern media and social media.”

In the document, Grech says that he is convinced that the PN can again become a winner. “If you trust me with the PN’s leadership, the first victory we will have will be unity, the second will be to offer a strong and credible vision and programme to the people.” The third victory, it reads, will be that the PN again becomes a modern and progressive movement that gets its strength from diversity and inclusivity.