Trying to make head and tails of what happened at the latest hard-fought, six-hour, diatribe-filled executive council meeting of the Nationalist Party is like treading through treacle.
Time and again the lines got blurred and positions moved. This was especially the case with Adrian Delia who as recently as last Sunday was asked: “Are you saying that the ultimate verdict rests with the general council not the members?” and replied: “Yes, when dealing with a confidence vote, it rests with the general council. The statute also deals with the scenario whether such a vote can be called twice within two years.”
Then on Thursday at around 9pm he was still resisting calls from the councillors ranged against him.
But at around midnight he changed his stance and accepted the councillors' motion. Moreover, he even backtracked on his own press release issued at 7.15pm.
The end result was that the party will now go to a General Council as the ' rebels' wanted. Delia had to give in.
In a later development Delia announced that if there will be a leadership election, he will be one of the candidates. We had no doubt.
Having survived three votes and lost them all – parliamentary group, executive council and that held by the President – he still thinks the party delegates who twice supported him will do so in a third one.
This creates the slightly comic effect that he is inviting the party delegates to vote for a leadership election so that they can again vote for him.
The corollary to this is the charge, aired by many party faithful that the 'rebels' do not want a straight vote of confidence.
At the end, after 1am, Delia seems to have given up on this and a compromise motion was drafted and unanimously approved. The General Council of the party will vote on 1 August on whether the party delegates should be invited to confirm Delia as party leader or hold a leadership election. The General Council has already shown it has an anti-Delia majority so the outcome seems clear – it will be a leadership election.
Only for Delia to pop up like the proverbial cork in the sea and claim he will contest.
This is where the fun part begins. For according to one of my sources inside the party, it will be 'an open contest'. In other terms, it will not necessarily be a Delia Vs Comodini race.
If my reading is right, this opens the door to a wide contest seeing there are quite a number of potential leaders in the party.
Therese Comodini was good ever since she was nominated to replace Delia as Leader of the Opposition, a post refused her by President George Vella in what will surely remain as a blot on his term.
In the few days allowed her, the former MEP stood up to Delia and told him off in no uncertain terms. And, as she pointed out, in just three days she garnered as much support in the country as Delia retained after three turbulent years.
She has not made a speech in parliament nor at some party club, her party's media seems shut to her and she has none of the institutional backing Delia gets.
If it comes to a leadership election, the party must ensure a level playing field. The delegates must not be stampeded into a rushed choice. The party media must be forced to be impartial and all candidates allowed equal time on the media. All candidates must be allowed to visit all localities and strict control exercised on spending.
I have no doubt Delia will try and play the leader card but he must be resisted.
It hurts to say this but the Nationalist Party should imitate the clean way Labour went about its leadership race just a few months ago.
And one thing that at one point looked as if it could derail that contest: keep a tight and impartial control on the membership lists even as more and more join up.
As from last Sunday, with all comment spaces upon, the onslaught on the 'rebels’ went on at full blast. The 'rebels’ came in for heavy criticism by people among their constituents. Unseen by the social media, the ' rebels' were getting an onslaught, but in the opposite direction.
It is now time for the rebels to come out and also their supporters.
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