Eighty one per cent of the Nationalist Party councillors voted for Bernard Grech to retain the leadership.

The president of the PN electoral commission Peter Fenech on Saturday said that Grech obtained 1,124 yes votes, against the 266 votes against.

In all, 1,564 councillors were eligible to vote, with 1,402 exercising their right, a 90 per cent turnout.

Valid votes totalled 1,390, while 12 votes were invalid.

The voting process, which started earlier in the week, closed at 5pm on Saturday, and the results were announced just before 6.30pm.

Grech needed 50 per cent plus one of the votes cast to be confirmed as leader.

Grech took over the reins of the PN in October 2020. In the last election, the PN succumbed to its third electoral defeat, but saw a number of younger, new candidates being elected.

He was the sole contender for the post. The party will now proceed to elect a deputy leader to complete its post-election process.

 

In a speech delivered after the election, Grech thanks all those who had voted for him and the others whom he “still had to convince”. He said that he was elected with 69 per cent of the votes two years ago, and this had grown to 80 per cent.

This means that the way he has led the party has increased the support he enjoyed. The councillors have voted against individualism, he said. Today, love conquered hate, and truth overcame lies. He said he hoped that he will translate the confidence shown in him in decisions that will strengthen the party in the next years.

You have chosen the courageous way towards wise decisions, Grech said, pledging to start working for the organisation and sustainability of the party as from tomorrow.

We must start preparations for the MEP and local council elections in May 2024 and, in the longer term, for the 2027 election, he said.

But the party can only be prepared if important decisions are taken, Grech added, mentioning in particular the need to tackle the party’s financial situation. A few weeks ago, Grech had said that the party was €32 million in debt.

We must put the party finance back on track after decades, he said, adding that in the last two months of meetings this was one of the topics that was mentioned the most in meetings he had had.

The PN leader said that the party must find ways to maximise its assets. In this respect, he will request an updating of the party’s inventory of assets.

The party has commercial entities which were formed years ago and which were still using models which were no longer conducive to today’s situation. The time has come for this model to be revised to convert these companies into profit-making entities, he said.

There is also a need to continue to reorganise the party and instil a sense of discipline in all its components, from top to bottom. The secretary general of the party must take on more administrative power, leaving the political aspect to the leader and deputy leader.

The different structures of the party must continue to reach out more, Grech said, mentioning AZAD in particular as the organisation that could help the party identify new candidates while giving input towards the party’s policies.

Contact with people will remain a priority, he said, promising to visit different localities in order to stay in touch with different communities. “If you do not come to me, I will come to you,” Grech said.

The party also needed to have better communication, using all available tools to stay in contact. The increase in use of modern technology means that the party must give priority to the newer media to present its message.

Malta needs a modern and strong Nationalist Party, he said.