There is absolutely no doubt left that the Nationalist Party is now in an open war with itself, for the third time since Adrian Delia took over the leadership. Battle lines have been drawn and sides are being taken.
The PN first went to war with itself over the Egrant saga, when Delia had called for the resignation of his predecessor Simon Busuttil but, when it never arrived, he had simply removed Busuttil from his post as spokesman. The second major issue took place when there were accusations of domestic violence against Delia.
The party is now in its third war, this time over a massive electoral loss and the aftermath, which included the mess related to the co-option of Jean Pierre Debono, later renounced, and the resignation of two top party officials, Mark Anthony Sammut from the presidency of the executive committee and David Camilleri from the post of treasurer.
While many are happy to sit back, bring out the popcorn and watch the spectacle, the country’s main opposition party falling apart before our very eyes is no laughing matter. A one-party state, be it wanted by some or not, is a dictatorship.
Delia needs to confirm his mandate at this stage, but he has so far said that he does not intend to take this road, saying there are party structures in place if anyone wants to challenge him.
But the escalation of the past days does not leave too many options for Delia. He needs to call for a confidence vote. Indeed he should have done this right after the European Parliament election result, and not doing so is definitely not a sign of strength. If he calls it and wins, then those who oppose him need to fall in line or leave, as the country cannot continue to have such a fragmented opposition party.
If Delia loses, then he needs to step aside and not cause any problems for the future leader, and should bring his faction together with those who oppose him, with both sides offering support to whoever would be elected as the next leader to unify the party.
The second option is for those who oppose him to collect the necessary signatures and demand a vote of no confidence in their leader. Many have spoken out about the situation, or spoken behind the scenes, but none of them has had the courage to start this process.
The issue with this second option is that Delia will put the party in a situation where his faction might not easily accept such a call from those who oppose him, while if he calls one himself it might be easier to unify the party afterwards.
This current situation is not a popularity contest. It is not a moment for one to try and cling on to power just for the sake of it. The PN is falling apart, has lost voters since the last general election and will continue to lose more unless it unites. If not for the party, then for the voters, call a vote of confidence and allow the country to have an Opposition again.
One may argue that both Lawrence Gonzi and Simon Busuttil faced losses in the European Parliament elections and local council elections, but no vote of confidence was called. The difference here is, however, the majority by which the PN has lost.
It is also without precedent that certain branches within the PN have commented on the situation in public and are asking for action.
If no vote is called, then the situation will worsen, and the risk of a 2/3rds majority for Labour will be greater than ever. If no vote is called, all will be held responsible for the possible downfall of the PN, especially Adrian Delia as leader, and political responsibility will be carried through the history books.