Embattled PN Leader Adrian Delia is hoping that a confidence vote in his leadership will finally get rebel members to toe the party line, as he once again indicates that he may eventually call for a vote among paid-up members (tesserati) should he lose on 27 July.

“What is the point of getting tesserati to vote for their leader if a minority of 1,200 get to overturn their decision,” Delia told Michael Briguglio in an interview on Net FM

He stressed that while dialogue was necessary within the party, it seemed that the leadership was fighting an internal opposition rather than having a debate.

“There needs to be a balance [when criticising the party], a person can have their voices heard, but they shouldn’t hurt the party, they shouldn’t cross the line.

“We are in the process of change. It is time to stop pointing figures at other people. For people who are part of the PN, it is important to ask yourself ‘what did we do wrong?’ not ‘what did they do wrong?’” Delia continued.

“The party is in a difficult moment, make your ideas known, help the party, that is service, that is loyalty,” he later added.

A confidence vote was called following weeks of growing pressure following the PN’s abysmal performance in the European and Local Council elections that culminated in the submission of a petition calling on him resign.

Delia, however, maintained that he was not “obliged” to call a vote, but instead chose to do so himself to nip the questions surrounding his leadership in the bud.

However, he later went on to say that even if the party was entirely unified, they still had an uphill battle, decrying the current government’s arrogant use of the power of incumbency.

Criticising his critics’ stance that the PN was operating as if it was “business as usual”, Delia said that it was, in the sense that the PN is doing the work that needs to be done, whether that’s in parliament or facing internal issues.

“We need to take stock of the situation and make tough, bold, and difficult decisions that reflect the current reality,” he said.

Turning to Louis Galea, who was recently appointed to head the party’s reform (which some may say is, in fact, Delia’s job), the PN Leader said the party stalwart would lead reforms to the statute and the general structure of the part.

Speaking on the election of a new Executive Committee President (Alex Perici Calascione) and a new Administrative Council President (Carm Mifsud Bonnici), Delia praised all who ran adding that that the people “showed loyalty and commitment” which he said was “rare” in politics.

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