While the media has concentrated – and it still is – on the Malta Labour Party as it analyses what led to its election defeat and elects its new leader, the Nationalist Party is, almost silently, carrying out its own transformation.

Fresh from its third election win in a row, the PN had the advantage of such a victory to undergo a change without having so much attention. It is normal that the media focuses on the loser, rather than the winner, especially since the MLP opted to take a rather long way to change its leadership.

Yet, in spite of its success, the PN has, rightly so, embarked on a project of renewal that is always necessary in a political party so as to avoid stagnation while at the same time bring in new ideas.

The PN has already done so at government level, with the Prime Minister choosing a much smaller Cabinet, which allows for better focus, and the appointment of several new ministers and parliamentary secretaries to replace others who did not do so well – in their jobs in the previous term and/or in the votes they obtained in the last election.

But one must distinguish between the government and the party, and in this sense the PN is also giving itself a facelift.

It was known, before the election, that secretary general Joe Saliba would have moved on to pastures new come what may on 8 March. And last Sunday, Mr Saliba delivered his last address at the party’s general council, which elected the new executive members. Soon the party will be appointing Mr Saliba’s successor who, in the words of Mr Saliba himself, must dedicate his time for the greater good of the party and not for personal achievement.

One other important post that will see a change is that of the information director, after Gordon Pisani moved to head the Prime Minister’s communications office.

But it is not only faces that are changing in the Nationalist Party, and Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi emphasised this when he addressed the councillors last Sunday. The party structures also need to be updated to reflect the priorities the party has established as being the most important for the country’s future – the environment, education and the economy.

Dr Gonzi did not go into detail, but it is clear that the PN has seen the need to renew itself even though it has won three elections in a row, and this to keep abreast with the developments and to also remain forward-looking. For one thing, Dr Gonzi called on the president of the general council to invite all 39 candidates who contested a post on the executive council to review a document drawn up 10 years ago and come up with an updated version in a year’s time.

In spite of winning, the PN has recognised the fact that “one cycle has been concluded and another has started”, and this is what keeps political parties fresh. Renewal is never easy, as the older generations still think they have a lot to give while the younger ones push for innovation. Renewal is however necessary for a party that wants to remain dynamic. “We need a renewal in ideas. There are new challenges ahead,” Dr Gonzi said.

The Nationalist Party knows that it will be very difficult for it to win the next election, when it would have been in office for 25 of 27 years. It knows that its only chance to win is by projecting itself as still being the party with the fresher ideas.

It did so in 2008, but it will be much harder in 2013.