Nationalist Party leader Alex Borg said Saturday that he chose to retain his parliamentary seat from the 13th District because he wanted to honour the mandate given to him by Gozitan voters, insisting that he could not "abandon" the district where his political career began.
Speaking in an interview a week after the general election, which saw the Nationalist Party suffer its fourth consecutive electoral defeat, Borg addressed speculation surrounding his decision to keep the Gozo seat.
Following the election, reports had suggested that Borg could be required under the party statute to relinquish the 13th District seat and retain the 12th district where he obtained a higher percentage of the electoral quota. However, the interpretation ultimately adopted was that, as party leader, Borg is considered an extraordinary candidate and is therefore not bound by the same requirement that applies to other candidates.
Borg said he had sought the guidance of the party's statute guardian and was informed that he could retain the Gozo seat.
"My political career started in Gozo," Borg said, noting that he had more than doubled the number of votes he obtained there compared to the previous election. "The people of Gozo had the party leader on their ballot paper. I wanted to show them that I was not leaving them."
He said that keeping the Gozo seat would allow him to continue strengthening the party's presence on the island, while stressing that work would continue in all districts, not just Gozo.
Turning to the election result, Borg acknowledged that the outcome was not the one the party had hoped for.
"We wanted to win," he said, while arguing that there were positive elements to draw from the result. He pointed to the reduction of the gap between the two major parties, the increase in support across all districts, and what he described as a renewed sense of optimism among supporters.
Borg said that since the election, around 800 people had applied to volunteer with the party and more than 1,000 suggestions had been submitted through feedback exercises.
"There was no demotivation this time," he said, adding that many supporters wanted to be actively involved in rebuilding the party.
The PN leader again also questioned Prime Minister Robert Abela's decision to call an early election.
Borg recalled that Abela had cited geopolitical uncertainty as a reason for seeking a fresh mandate a year ahead of schedule. However, Borg suggested that the real motivation may have been the growing momentum being registered by the Nationalist Party.
"Seven months were enough for us to make a big leap forward," he said, arguing that the party's growth may have contributed to the timing of the election.
Despite the defeat, Borg said he remained determined to continue leading the party, describing his leadership as a long-term project rather than a short-term exercise. He said his confirmation as leader now rests with the party's General Council.
Borg also criticised what he described as the government's use of the "power of incumbency" during the election campaign.
He alleged that government departments accelerated decisions and approvals in the run-up to polling day, claiming that some people had waited years for requests to be processed only for action to be taken shortly before the election.
"It was not a level playing field," Borg said, arguing that the government continued exercising its full powers until the eve of the election instead of operating with the restraint expected during an electoral campaign.
Borg said the PN would continue to hold the government accountable for its electoral promises and described the party as "a government in waiting".
He also questioned Prime Minister Abela's decision to appoint Chris Fearne to Cabinet despite ongoing criminal proceedings linked to the hospitals inquiry.
While stressing the principle of innocent until proven guilty, Borg argued that appointing a minister facing criminal charges to represent Malta internationally carried risks and raised serious questions about governance standards.