The Nationalist Party has elected its new deputy leader today.

Alex Perici Calascione was the sole contender for the post, and he obtained a 90 per cent endorsement by the councillors who voted.

There were 1,571 eligible voters, of whom 1,102 cast their preference (71%).

Of the votes cast, 22 were invalid and 1,078 were valid. 104 councillors voted against Perici Calascione, while 976, or 90 per cent, voted in favour, the chairman of the PN’s electoral commission Peter Fenech said.

As from this year, the PN will have one deputy leader, reversing the double deputy leadership post former leader Simon Busuttil had introduced in 2013.

Incumbents Robert Arrigo and David Agius did not contest.

In his acceptance speech, Perici Calascione said the PN is coming from electoral defeats and a period of internal strife. It must now turn the page and look ahead to continue battling against a government which transformed its victories into arrogance and abuse, for which the people are paying dearly.

He said that the party always believed that righteousness prevails, but this does not come easy.  One needs good thinking to plan the best strategies, and the party must work hard to attract the country’s best minds towards it. The party also needs people who dedicate their time to its cause and then make sure that its message is reaching all corners.

He said that the party’s heart still beats for the country. We must look ahead, he said, without damaging the foundations on which the party is built, and leaving it to the leaders of tomorrow in a better shape.

Closing the event, leader Bernard Grech said that since he was confirmed as leader, the party has worked in silence to update itself. He said that the result of these changes will be seen in the short term, mentioning internal structuring, preparations for the 2024 local council elections and a branding exercise as some of the areas on which the party has worked.

The party is also re-organising its media and is addressing its financial difficulties, he said. Malta needs a strong opposition, because the current administration is taking the country in the wrong direction.

Grech said that inflation was hitting vulnerable groups hard, and the government does not have a plan to tackle it. The government blames the PN, Covid and the war in Ukraine, but never blames itself for its shortcomings in addressing inflation.

He said the health sector is no longer state-of the art, with cancer machines not working and Malta having the worst death rate with regard to Covid. The country’s debt had risen by €3.4 billion in the last nine years. But the government does not want people to hear the truth as it was controlling the national media.

Grech added that the government had done nothing to implement the proposals made by three judges who led the public inquiry into the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia. When the party presented 12 bills to address the issue, the government had voted against, he said.

In his last speech as deputy leader, a visibly emotional Arrigo said that he felt he had been sidelined by the party.

“They told me I was only capable of fundraising. Well I did fundraise a lot of money and I have done so till the very last day,” Arrigo said.

Expressing how hurt he felt, Arrigo recounted instances when he said he was not allowed on the main stage during the last election campaign.

“These things should never happen. Never again. We can’t accept those things if we want to bring the party back on its feet […] Don’t blame the people that went on Facebook to say similar things. They are right.”

Arrigo said it had been a privilege to serve as the party's deputy leader. “I wanted to thank you all personally. It was a pleasant experience – an honour that I never thought I would have,” Arrigo said.

He said that only Dom Mintoff and Evarist Bartolo had ever managed to be elected from two districts in subsequent elections more than him.

He addressed the newly elected Deputy Leader, Alex Perici Calascione. “Please be your own man, you don’t need to be other people’s man.”

Another election to appoint two members from the Youth Section on the Executive Committee was held. The two members who were elected are Jake Scerri Seychell, who obtained 475 votes, and Jean Paul Barbara, with 595 preferences.

1,571 councillors were eligible to vote, 1,091 votes were cast, and 1,062 votes were valid.