1. Bernard Grech

No matter which way you slice it, the fact remains that Grech was the only person to put his name forward in the PN’s post-election leadership survey. If anyone else wanted to become PN leader, they had their chance… and they didn’t take it.

Around 80% of PN councillors voted for Grech, which is quite high considering it was a one-horse-race that was held when party morale was at its lowest.

PN should focus all its energy on rebuilding its ground game and pitch Grech’s compromising tendency as a political strength which renders him open to adopting several kinds of policies. Ousting him now will only create more instability and turmoil, and this time it could truly destroy the party for good.

2. Roberta Metsola

Roberta Metsola certainly won’t quit her European Parliament presidency role midway through but her term will be up next year.

After rubbing shoulders with the likes of Volodymyr Zelenskyy and World Economic Forum dignitaries, it’s unlikely that she’ll want to retreat to her old role as a mere MEP, particularly since she’s still a young politician.

Metsola has been tipped for other high-ranking European and international roles, but the prospect of someday leading your country will always excite an ambitious politician. Her election will immediately give the PN a sense of credibility, something it has lacked for a while.

3. Adrian Delia

Delia departed as PN leader in the most acrimonious of fashions and the wounds suffered by his supporters are far from being healed.

He was forced out due to dismal survey showings but the situation hasn’t improved, which shows Delia was right back then in pinpointing the blame for the PN’s failings on the party rather than the leader.

While Delia remains a very charismatic politician, he has – perhaps as a result of political experience – toned down his fire-and-brimstone rhetoric which was despised by a chunk of PN voters. Time for the PN to accept that getting rid of Delia was a mistake and bring him back to heal the party and move on?

4. Alex Borg

One of the PN’s standout performers at last year’s election, Borg has continued to shine as a voice for the people of Gozo, utilising a populist flair which is refreshing considering how little there is of it in the party.

Borg comes across as a modern conservative, concerned with the impact of rapid social changes, but without dragging religion into the argument or resurrecting issues like gay marriage which the people of Malta has accepted.

A Borg-led PN could look like a completely different party than PL, which could encourage people to vote for the party for a reason other than tradition.

5. Joe Giglio

If the PN wants to appoint a new leader but doesn’t want to take a risk, then Joe Giglio is the safest bet.

One of Malta’s leading criminal lawyers, he won’t have to worry about boosting his name recognition, something Grech struggled with initially. However, he is also a politically new face, which means the PN won’t have to face warnings that it is going back to the past.

Well-spoken and legally erudite, Giglio seems like a man who can bridge different factions of the party while demanding respect from all of them.

6. Jerome Caruana Cilia

If the PN really wants to try something different, it should try and elect a non-lawyer to the leadership role, someone who doesn’t view society as a larger courtroom ecosystem.

Jerome Caruana Cilia fits the bill. A financial services worker and former journalist, he has risen up the PN’s ranks through its years of political famine and was last year given the crucial Shadow Finance Minister role.

Caruana Cilia exudes a sense of humility and industriousness, qualities which tend to rub off well with the people of Malta, and his recent campaign for justice for JeanPaul Sofia shows he isn’t a soft touch either.

7. Darren Carabott

Another newcomer, Carabott has impressed since getting elected as an MP last year.

Although his Opposition role shadowing local councils and public administration didn’t initially sound like the most exciting position, Carabott has managed to make a lot of noise on issues such as Valletta bar music, parking permits and the preservation of the Romeo Romano Gardens.

His ability to stand out in such a crowded Parliament is testament to his political nous, and his closeness to former MP Claudio Grech – one of the PN’s best strategists in recent years – could also help him reform the party.

8. Mark Anthony Sammut

Sammut is a fighter who isn’t afraid to stick his neck out for causes he believes in, a fiery breed of politician that has almost entirely vanished from the PN.

He was one of the first major Maltese politicians to call for an end to COVID-19 vaccine certificate rules and daily bulletins, criticised the authorities for their treatment of Syrian migrant Loujin, and took an active stance in demanding justice for Daphne Caruana Galizia and the removal of Adrian Delia as PN leader.

Whether you agree with these stances or not, the fact he had the courage to take them is a breath of fresh air.

While many politicians are comfortable operating in the shadows, using people as pawns and shields without ever showing their hands for fear of getting called out, Sammut leads from the front… which is how a leader should be.

9. Franco Debono

The ‘wildcard’ option, Debono hasn’t been active in the PN since 2013, but he has maintained an active interest in politics and the state of the nation.

One of the PN’s biggest weaknesses is its dearth of original ideas to improve the nation, but ideas is something Debono has plenty of. As a backbencher, he proposed a major reform to Malta’s Constitution and justice system and many of his ideas have since become law. These include splitting the Attorney General’s role, introducing the right of a suspect to a lawyer during police interrogations, and having MPs elect the President of the Republic.

Once a rising star within the PN, Debono’s exclusion from Cabinet helped shape public perception of the party as one controlled by an old ‘establishment’ that is unwilling to fully pass the reins of power on to the next generation.

His election as leader would go a long way to show the party has truly changed its ways.

Who do you think should be PN leader? Let us know in the comment section