Prospective Opposition Leader Therese Comodini Cachia has said that a split within the Nationalist Party will not happen just yet after PN Leader Adrian Delia threw down the gauntlet to dissenting MPs.

“I do not think that is a step we have reached yet,” Comodini Cachia told Lovin Malta when asked whether a party split will happen if Delia remains in his post. “We will definitely decide according to what takes place this evening. All of the journalists and editors have said this is a possibility, there are several possibilities available.”

Yesterday evening, Delia named four MPs (Comodini Cachia, David Thake, Claudette Buttigieg and Chris Said) that he would never trust again, pledging drastic changes to his shadow cabinet.

“It’s not the first time Adrian Delia has threatened us, and it won’t be the last,” Comodini Cachia said. “These threats only serve to break up the party when we want to strengthen it in the best interests of the party and of the country.”

“We remain open for everyone to join our cause to regain people’s trust and present a strong opposition.”

Comodini Cachia reiterated that she and the other MPs who voted against Delia in the confidence vote were not issuing any threats to anyone, whether they be an MP, councillor, or paid-up member.

“We are working together to bring hope back into the party,” she said.

Comodini Cachia was nominated by the majority of Opposition MPs as Opposition leader, a request that was thrown out by President George Vella yesterday.

In a statement, Vella confirmed that 16 Opposition MPs, the majority of the PN parliamentary group, declared they don’t have trust in Delia as Opposition leader, while 11 MPs said they still trust him. One MP, believed to be Stephen Spiteri, abstained.

The Constitution states that the President should revoke the appointment of the Opposition leader if another MP gains the support of the majority of Opposition MPs.

However, Vella noted that while Delia has indeed lost the support of the majority of his MPs, he had to consider the consequences of removing him as Opposition leader, namely the immediate question of who will replace him.

What do you make of Comodini Cachia’s statement?