Bernard Grech is leaving the door open for current PN leader Adrian Delia to play an important role in the party if he is ousted from his position in the upcoming leadership election.

“Adrian Delia should be part of the solution,” Grech told Lovin Malta.

Grech would not commit to assigning Delia a particular position. However, he insisted that a lack of a defined role should do nothing to limit a person’s impact on the party.

Delia and Grech will face off in the leadership election soon. However, it could have been very different with Grech already listed as a candidate for the next general election under Delia’s PN.

Grech explained that he had turned down proposals to contest on several occasions, notably in 1998 and 2017, to remain politically independent on certain issues. He even considered running in the MEP elections last year, and it was only until last January and February when he confirmed with Delia that he would contest in the next general election.

“Things have changed since then,” Grech said. A leadership crisis erupted in the party last June after links between Delia and Daphne Caruana Galizia murder suspect Yorgen Fenech were revealed in court.

“We have a responsibility to keep this party together, but we cannot continue with something that has failed, and the moment the party needs something new,” he continued.

Despite his calls for renewal, Grech has PN stalwarts like former Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi and Louis Galea advising him. The electorate resoundingly rejected both; however, Grech insists that numbers have nothing to do with it, praising their advice but stressing they were two of many he consulted.

Grech was non-committal on any new faces he would be bringing in, making a small reference to his two good friends (one of whom became an MP) who all had political aspirations.

However, he did leave the door open for people who have left the party, like Franco Debono.

“The party will be open to anyone who genuinely wants to improve the party and country. If they send the right signals and tell us that they really changed, of course. Not all characters are equal, and not everyone can be an individual, but we need to make an effort to mend these bridges,” he said.

Do you think Adrian Delia should be brought on board if he’s ousted as leader?