Bernard Grech is the PN’s new leader

• Beats Adrian Delia with 69.3% of the vote in leadership race • Outgoing leader pledges loyalty

Bernard Grech is the Nationalist Party’s new leader after he won the leadership race yesterday, obtaining 69.3% of the votes cast.

The turnout in the election was 85%, the PN’s electoral commission said yesterday. 21,499 members were eligible to vote in the election.

12,633 tesserati voted for Grech and 5,622 (30.7%) voted for Delia. There were 77 invalid votes.

Grech became the Nationalist Party’s ninth leader. Delia called him soon after the unofficial result came out and conceded defeat.

In a Facebook post, Grech said this was the “first step towards truly uniting and renewing the Nationalist Party.” He thanked all those who made this possible. He also thanked his “colleague” Adrian Delia, saying he is certain that Delia will remain active within the party. Thanking his wife and children, Grech said the “real work starts now.”

In his first official address, Grech said this was not a victory for him, nor was it a defeat for Delia. “The PN won.” He said he wants to convince the 5,000 members who did not vote for him. He thanked all those who voted in the election. “This is your party. This is the party of all those who want this country to become normal again. It is a great honour for me to be chosen as the leader of this party which is celebrating not only the country’s achievements but also the

possibility of making democratic choices.”

Referring to a party member who voted for him but passed away over the past few days, Grech said the country needs to look out for and protect all vulnerable people.

“This result places a great responsibility on my shoulders, to serve you and the Maltese public in general.” He thanked Adrian Delia and said that, together they can strengthen the party. “I don’t want the party to lose anyone. To the contrary, I want the party to welcome more people, and there are many out there who wish to participate and see the country return to normality again. This is not the end but rather the point of departure for us. Together we can succeed and make this party an alternative government.”

In a press conference later, Grech said that he will be discussing what role Delia will be taking and what protfolio he will be shadowing. He said he was pleased that Delia still felt part of the party, and also welcomed messages that he received from PN officials who he knew worked for Delia and who had also offered their loyalty, now that the election is over. The PN needs all MPs, all officials, all members to move forward.

Asked who of the MPs will be giving up his seat in parliament to the new leader, Grech said that a decision will be taken shortly.

The Labour Party had labelled his victory as one for the establishment, to which Grech replied that he does not take any advice from the PL. “What I tell them is that today the PN is stronger. I do not have all solutions, but I will listen to everyone and then decide,” he said.

He said that the PN statute guaranteed both Robert Arrigo and David Agius their position as deputy leaders. It is up to them to decide what to do, he said, adding that he was ready to work with them. “I can work with everyone... to make the PN an alternative government,” he said.

With regard to the PN’s chances to win the general election, Grech said that he cannot foresee the future. He said that it would be wrong if the Labour Party decided to call an early election, given that the PN is still to settle down under his new leadership. “The economy does not need any more hurdles,” he said. “My project is not for six months or two years, but I can guarantee that as from tomorrow we will start working hard.”

What led to the election?

The leadership election was held after Delia lost two confidence votes, one within the PN’s parliamentary group and the other in the Executive Committee. The votes were held amid claims that Delia had remained in touch with Daphne murder mastermind Yorgen Fenech even after he was outed as the owner of 17 Black – a company allegedly set up to give kickbacks to Keith Schembri and Konrad Mizzi. Delia has insisted that any communication he had with Fenech was of “no significance.”

A general council was later held and voted for the party to hold a leadership race.

Initially, a number of individuals were interested to contest the election, but it was later decided that only Bernard Grech should challenge Delia. Both candidates were submitted to a due diligence process which highlighted tax issues for both candidates. The due diligence panel had complained that it did not have the required resources and time to carry out its function properly.

The process concluded around three weeks ago, with both candidates launching their campaigns shortly after.

The three-week campaign was a bitter one, with Delia often complaining that Grech’s team was trying to undermine him. The latest episode revolved around the only contenders’ debate, which took place last week.

Delia was elected PN Leader on 16 September 2017. He was elected by the party’s tesserati – a process that was used for the first time in that election. He has always insisted that he was given a 5-year mandate and that only the party members can vote to remove him.