Updated (6): Compromise reached on PN's way forward; General Council to decide tesserati's options

Thursday, 23 July 2020, 16:38 Last update: about 5 years ago

Kevin Schembri Orland and Giulia Magri

After over five hours of heated debate, a compromise has been agreed on in terms of the way forward for the PN.

While originally there were two proposals for a General Council vote, agreement was found in the form of a compromise.

The compromise would see the General Council have a choice, to decide whether the PN's tesserati (paid members) in a National Convention elect a leader of the party, or vote to confirm current leader Adrian Delia

Originally two separate proposals for the agenda of a PN General Council meeting expected to be held at the end of this month were made on Thursday evening, and saw both factions within the PN lock horns.

The PN's Executive Committee met Thursday at 7pm in the latest battleground between Delia and those who want him ousted as leader.

The first move was made by Delia, who wrote a letter to the General Council President with the aim of calling a meeting that would ultimately end in a vote of confidence in him by the PN's tesserati (paid members). Some party sources said that a number of those opposing Delia were not in favour of this. Other sources questioned its legitimacy, arguing that Delia's proposal went against the party statute as the paid members cannot vote in a vote of confidence, but can only vote in a leadership election.

Shortly after, a motion was presented within the Executive Committee, calling for the General Council to hold a vote of confidence in Delia, and that a leadership election take place soon after in which the paid members would be able to cast their vote. Sources said Delia opposed this proposal when it was made.

Posting on Facebook, PN MPs Karol Aquilina, Chris Said and Jason Azzopardi said that it is untrue that they and other MPs want to remove the vote from tesserati for the choice on PN leader, arguing that they want the tesserati to choose from valid candidates who they would want for the post.

Delia has been facing calls to step down after he lost two confidence votes thus far, one in the Parliamentary Group, and one in the Executive Committee.

While entering the Executive Committee meeting on Thursday, many MPs were tight-lipped about their expectations.

PN MPs walking into Executive Committee meeting from The Malta Independent on Vimeo.

Soon after the Executive Committee began, The PN issued a written statement reading that Delia had called for a General Council meeting to take place on 31 July.

The short statement read that Delia wrote to the President of the General Council, Censu Galea to initiate the process. The planned agenda included a speech by Delia, and a vote on the following question: "Do you agree that a General Convention be called in three weeks' time so that the PN's tesserati (paid members) can hold a vote of confidence in Adrian Delia?"

This letter proposed that it be the General Convention, and not the General Council, that will hold the confidence vote, thus meaning that the tesserati (paid members) would be able to cast their vote In a confidence motion.

The letter to the General Council President read that since Delia was the one to call the General Council meeting, he sets the agenda, citing the party statute. The letter concluded that Delia will be informing the Executive Committee, which met tonight.

After the statement was issued, members of the press who were stationed outside the PN's Headquarters heard a commotion within the PN HQ, with people banging on tables and yelling.

Later in the evening during the Executive Committee meeting a motion was presented with a different proposal, calling for a General Council plenary session during which a motion would be voted on which would include both a vote of confidence in Delia and the call for a leadership election.

The motion proposed that the Council meet on 31 July, continue to meet on 1 August for a day for voting, with an early voting session taking place on 29 July. It proposed that the General Council have the following vote on the agenda: "After the decisions taken by the Executive Committee and the Parliamentary Group, through which it was expressed that they do not have faith in the PN Leader and Opposition Leader respectively, the General Council now resolves that Adrian Delia no longer holds the trust of the PN's General Council, and decides to start the process for a new PN leader to be elected by the tesserati (paid members), according the procedures provided by the party statute."

The PN's Executive Committee is meeting tonight after a request by PN leader Adrian Delia as the party discusses the way forward from its current turmoil.

The meeting comes a day after rebel MPs walked out of a parliamentary group meeting only minutes after it started. They walked out after Delia refused to discuss the confidence votes which he lost over the past two weeks, instead wanting to discuss Tuesday's developments - wherein Daphne Caruana Galizia murder middleman Melvin Theuma allegedly attempted to take his own life.

Photos and videos by Alenka Falzon