Adrian Delia’s time is up… or at least it should be.

During his time as Opposition Leader, he has not made any headway with the Maltese electorate.

While the country has been marred by corruption scandals linked to the government, and while the country saw the downfall of a Prime Minister… the PN remained lagging far behind.

It has become crystal clear that Delia is not the right man for the job. He is incapable of leading a strong Opposition, incapable of being able to hold the government to account. Why? Because he himself has been at the centre of a number of allegations, among other reasons.

He has lost two votes of confidence in as many weeks. The Parliamentary Group wants him out, and even tried to oust him from his role as Opposition Leader. Although this failed due to the President’s interpretation of the Constitution, he did state that Delia lost the support of the majority of Opposition MPs.

But this was not enough for Delia to bow out.

And so next it was the turn of the Executive Committee, one of the chief party organs. A vote of no confidence was called, and Delia lost. Yet still Delia walked out of the PN HQ smiling as the party crumbles around him. He still has not resigned and said that this vote has no consequences as per the statute. So, by his reasoning, the beliefs of the Executive Committee of the party… the Parliamentary Group… have no consequence.

But it did not stop here. Party stalwart Louis Galea also said that a new leader must be called. Galea was in charge of the reform of the PN statute, a highly respected person within the PN. Lawrence Gonzi also for Delia to go for a vote of confidence among the tesserati (paid members).

Delia has served to do nothing more than fester the wound within the PN, further dividing the PN from within. In truth, he should have gone a while ago, but he stubbornly remained.

In the meantime, the Vitals Global Healthcare scandal, which should have seen the PN raising their voices after the damning National Audit Office report, is pushed to the background. Yet another lost opportunity for a weak Opposition to gain any ground.

Some might argue that the fault lies with the MPs who have been creating problems for Delia. This is a point that can be made, but in the end, a strong leader must be able to unite the party, and Delia has proven incapable of doing this.

There are few remaining options now, so close to another general election. Delia can either stay on, further split the party from within as it is clear he will not be supported by many, leave with a semblance of honour while trying to mend the divide, or be in some way forced out, further dividing the party.

The less damaging choice lies with him, but whether the final choice lies with him remains to be seen.