Unlike the executive committee and the parliamentary group, the general council has the powers to remove Delia as leader. However, Delia insists that party statute dictates that there cannot be a confidence vote for two years once a similar vote is taken.

A vote was taken a year ago in the wake of the MEP and local council elections, which Delia won with 67% of the vote. Sources have suggested that the council would still be able to open up a vote on a potential leadership race, while others said the statute being quoted by Delia is only applicable after the next general election.

It seems the most likely outcome is the council opening up the issue to a vote among all tesserati.

So, who can call on the general council to convene?

Essentially, the general council can be called to meet by the Party Leader, by the executive committee, or by 150 councillors. During the 2019 confidence vote, over 150 councillors signed a document calling for the general council to meet. However, sources believe that it is unlikely there will be another signature collection this year. 

Unless Delia decides to call the council, which seems unlikely, it looks like it will be up to the executive committee to call the meeting. 

The issue of a general council meeting was not discussed during yesterday’s mammoth seven-hour sitting. It was agreed after the vote that there would be no further discussions for the time being to allow members to reflect on the result.

It’s not entirely clear whether the executive committee meeting will take place by the end of the week. Sources said it should be called soon but could not give a specific date. 

2. Go straight to a leadership election 

Delia has so far dismissed two vital organs of the party structure, insisting that it was the tesserati who entrusted him with leading the party to the next general election. However, Delia has given absolutely no indication whether he is willing to call another leadership race to confirm whether the tesserati do indeed still want him in charge. 

Delia won the leadership election in September 2017 taking 52.7% of the vote to beat MP Chris Said, who would later file the first motion against Delia. 

Just 802 votes split the pair back then, and a lot has happened since. With poor performances in the polls, indications are that Delia could have very well lost that majority and may hesitate to test their loyalty while severe allegations against him continue to surface.

Executive committee and parliamentary group members are also very well aware of what the PN’s constituents and grassroots supporters are feeling. None of them would have gone against the leader if they knew the bulk of supporters and people who voted them into power did not agree with them. 

Former Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi, who called a leadership election when facing his own political crisis in 2012, proposed going to a leadership election during last night’s meeting.

Simon Busuttil, Delia’s predecessor, was the one to open up the vote to the tesserati for the first time ever in 2017, handing faith to grassroots voters and ultimately creating the environment which allowed Delia to get elected. Ignoring them entirely in this process will only foster resentment.

Ultimately, the tesserati should have a say in the matter, and a vote could settle allegations of being undemocratic which will plague Delia’s potential successor if he is removed from the role through other means. 

3. Resignation

Admittedly the most unlikely of the three. Delia has defiantly said that both confidence votes were simply declarations, insisting that he has absolutely no intention of resigning. Sources have described Delia as a man who would continue battling even if he were to rule over ashes. 

It can be an admirable trait, and persistence is critical when trying to persuade over the unconvinced. However, internal chasms within the PN are beyond repair with Delia at the helm.

MPs and executive committee members are unlikely to leave the party either. Some have been there for decades and value the party above anything else.

Beyond abysmal polling, no political leader, no matter the circumstance will be able to deliver success in a general election when the absolute majority of the party is against them. Why wait for the inevitable when the results could be devastating for the entire nation, whether or not you support Delia?

Malta’s Labour Party could very well win a two-thirds majority in Parliament if the nation continues on this collision course. It makes no difference if you’re red or blue, a one-party state is bad for all of us, especially considering the grave allegations being levelled against the current cabinet, former ministers, and former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat. 

Maybe resigning could just be the easiest option, as impossible as it may seem, instead of letting this process drag on further at the detriment of public perception of the PN.

4. Do nothing

A waiting game is a dangerous thing, but delaying could be an option moving forward. Delia might hope that things settle down over the summer and people’s attention slowly turns elsewhere as has happened on a myriad of issues. 

With Therese Comodini Cachia, Chris Said, Claudette Buttigieg, and David Thake the only four making their opposition to Delia public, a proper long term alternative is yet to materialise. 

Still, waiting would be a fool’s errand. The issue is not going to disappear, and the divisions have only got worse over the last weeks. It has reached an irreversible stage where inaction would only reinforce the sentiment that for all we know could lead to a major split.  

5. Go nuclear

Delia could simply employ a scorched earth policy on his own party and take drastic action against all those oppose him. It would not be easy and will require die-hard support from those closest to him. 

There’s little hope that the majority of those who have turned against him will be brought back on board. Every mistake he makes will be pounced upon his rivals and could lead to yet another leadership crisis. 

A nuclear option, Delia could very well kick out or demote his critics to shape the party into one which is entirely submissive to him and shaped in his image. Maybe his ’new way’ will finally be realised.

It would, however, create the space for dissenting members to go right up against Delia and form their own party that could make the PN irrelevant in the space of a few years.

The PN is in crisis and the way forward is riddled with uncertainty. Whatever the scenario and eventual outcome, any dragging of feet will inevitably lead to the Party fading into irrelevance, leaving the country to pick up the pieces of a democracy in tatters.

What do you think will happen next? Comment below