The Nationalist Party can win the next election if, after a new leader is appointed, there will be unity in the party, leadership contender Adrian Delia said.

Addressing councillors at the Zabbar PN club, Delia said the PN’s political adversaries are doing their best to divide the PN. The answer to this is to show unity, as many PN supporters are suggesting, he said.

Delia added that the wave for a new way of doing politics has taken over what is usually a quiet political time in the summer months. “But the PN’s relevance can be seen by the widespread discussion that has emerged on the PN leadership race,” he said.

The councillors who will vote in the election’s first phase on 2 September must listen to what the PN supporters and members are saying, he said.

Delia then spoke on the structural changes he intends to implement in the party if elected leader, giving more importance to the section committees. He also emphasised the need for the party media to be strengthened and the idea to appoint two assistant general secretaries with non-elective functions to concentrate on the party’s policies and administration.

He praised the work of Alex Perici Calascione and Ann Fenech in the last four years to bring the party’s finances in line. “What they did, and what Simon Busuttil did, should not be thrown away when the new leader is elected,” he said.