In a letter signed by PN MPs Chris Said and Therese Comodini Cachia, the PN MPs who voted against their party leader Adrian Delia have told the PN leader to put the party and country’s interests first in these “dire circumstances”.

The two MPs, who tabled the vote of confidence in Delia in Tuesday night’s parliamentary group meeting, did not directly call for Delia to leave the party however, given that they said that they had repeatedly invited Delia to continue to participate and contribute within the opposition in a different role, the implications are clear.

The statement comes the day after almost two-thirds of the PN parliamentary group voted against Delia's leadership of the PN in a meeting which dragged on into the early hours of this morning.

The statement is signed on behalf of those who voted against Delia’s leadership in Tuesday’s meeting – who number 19 in total including Said and Comodini Cachia, and is the first public indication but the dissenting group since then.

However the statement makes no reference as to what the MPs’ next step will be, amid question marks over whether the President of Malta will remove Delia from his role as Opposition leader or not.

“We appeal to Adrian Delia to put first and foremost the party and this country’s interests in these dire circumstances. We are as ever determined to continue to act in the best interest of the country and the party.”

However Delia has remained firm in his stance that he will remain party leader, telling journalists as much both right after Tuesday’s late-night meeting and outside Parliament on Wednesday. Indeed, he has said that he feels that he is obliged to remain leader as he was elected by the party’s members.

The MPs who voted against Delia met on Wednesday afternoon to discuss the way forward, with The Malta Independent being informed that up until Wednesday evening the President had not approached them nor Delia, and that they had not approached the President either.

As per Malta’s constitution, the President of the Republic can step in to remove the Opposition leader if he does not command the support or backing of the majority of his MPs.

It remains to be seen what the next step will be if Delia continues to remain in his post, as he has insisted that he will.

The full statement can be read below:

Yesterday’s vote was a difficult choice that the parliamentary group had to face. We want our country to regain normality, to regain its reputation and to re-establish itself as a democracy.

For this reason, the country needs a strong opposition party. The Partit Nazzjonalista deserves the chance to regain people’s trust and become an alternative government.

Several parliamentary group meetings were held over the last months in which the Parliamentary Group indicated its concerns. Adrian Delia was repeatedly invited to continue to participate and contribute within the Opposition in a different role.

We appeal to Adrian Delia to put first and foremost the party and this country’s interests in these dire circumstances. We are as ever determined to continue to act in the best interest of the country and the party.

This is a call that wants to see the Partit Nazzjonalista regain its courage and trust in its values.

Chris Said

Therese Comodini Cachia

On behalf of the MPs who supported the vote taken during yesterday’s meeting