PN leader Bernard Grech looks likely to be the sole contender in the PN’s leadership contest that was triggered by the general election loss.

PN statute dictates that a leader must resign after every election defeat, but Grech has said that he intends to seek re-election. 

On Thursday, the party’s executive committee will meet to discuss the process which will be ironed out in a council meeting on Saturday.

However, Lovin Malta is informed that there is unlikely to be a serious contender for the post. Grech’s closest rivals, Adrian Delia, Joe Giglio and Mark Anthony Sammut have all said that they do not intend to contest for the leadership.

Meanwhile, Grech has already chosen his Shadow Cabinet for the next legislature before the leadership process even kicks off.

Still, Grech would still require a simple majority if he is the sole contender in the race. If there are three or more candidates, a vote will be held in the general council to narrow down the field before party members vote. 

Grech has been PN leader since October 2020, replacing Delia in what turned out to be a bitter battle between internal party rivals. However, he failed to improve the PN’s electoral performance in the general election, with the gap from the Labour Party now at 39,000 votes. 

Should Grech remain PN leader?