PN Election Result Sealed: Commission Rejects Delia’s Challenge, Grech Stays Leader

PN leadership vote stands, commission rules, as Delia’s last-ditch letter fizzles

Ħamrun’s narrow side-streets were buzzing yesterday afternoon, not with the usual clatter of pastizzi trays and football talk, but with the latest twist in the Nationalist Party’s marathon leadership saga. After a week of claim and counter-claim, the party’s electoral commission has declared that the 3-4 May ballot—won decisively by Bernard Grech—was “conducted fairly and its outcome is correct”. The verdict lands like a ħobż biż-żejt sliced straight: decisive, but leaving crumbs of dissent for Adrian Delia’s die-hard supporters to chew on.

The final word came after Delia’s campaign fired off a four-page letter on Monday, alleging “serious irregularities” in the voting register and demanding a fresh count. Among the grievances: delegates who had allegedly switched districts without notice, and last-minute changes to the electronic voter roll. The commission, chaired by retired judge Lawrence Quintano, spent 48 hours poring over printouts and cross-checking ID numbers at the PN headquarters in Pietà. Their conclusion? “No material impact on the result.” Translation: Grech’s 70%-30% margin stands, and the party can finally exhale.

To outsiders, the PN’s internal mechanics may feel as cryptic as a festa firework recipe, but on the islands this matters. The Nationalist Party isn’t just an opposition force; it’s woven into the Maltese story since 1880, from Strickland’s printing presses to Eddie Fenech Adami’s 1987 triumph on the steps of the Granaries. Every leadership race is therefore a national Rorschach test: Are we tilting more Sliema-modernist or Żejtun-traditional? Grech’s win, now cemented, signals a suburban middle-class bloc reasserting itself, while Delia’s rural-populist base nurses wounds that salt-water Gozitan winds won’t quickly heal.

“At the kazin, half the room is relieved, half is livid,” says Marlene Borg, who runs a coffee kiosk opposite the PN club in Birkirkara. “One guy even paid for his espresso in 10-cent coins to protest—said the vote was ‘bought like a cheap souvenir’.” Such theatrics are vintage Malta: politics as street theatre, where every ballot paper carries the weight of family feuds that pre-date Mintoff. For younger voters, however, the spectacle is wearing thin. “My friends just want stable leadership and rent reform,” shrugs 22-year-old university student Karl Micallef, scrolling TikTok between lectures at Junior College.

The commission’s ruling does more than end a leadership squabble; it clears the runway for Grech to reshape the PN ahead of next June’s European and local elections. Party insiders say he will now accelerate candidate vetting in traditionally Labour-leaning districts like the Third (Valletta-South Harbour) and push a “green-tech” message aimed at first-time voters who grew up beneath solar-panelled rooftops. Delia, meanwhile, has not conceded in person, releasing only a terse statement thanking supporters and urging “unity against Labour arrogance”. Rumours swirl that he may launch a new media platform—think Lovin Malta with a conservative tint—but friends say his immediate priority is family time in Siġġiewi, away from microphones.

For the wider community, the verdict brings a flicker of relief to businesses that rely on political certainty. “When the PN coughs, our sales sneeze,” jokes Antoine Briffa, whose print shop in Qormi churns out campaign posters. “Now we can stop printing ‘Recount Now!’ banners and focus on summer festa orders.” Yet the episode also leaves scars. Party memberships surged during the contest—up 18 % in Gozo alone—but internal polling shows 12 % of new sign-ups threatening to tear up their cards if “the establishment keeps shutting doors”.

As the sun set over Marsamxett harbour last night, Grech addressed supporters from a makeshift stage near the former RAF hangars, flanked by Maltese and EU flags. “The page is turned,” he declared, voice cracking slightly. “Tonight we are not factions. We are one party, one nation.” Whether that rhetoric can stitch together the frayed seams of the PN remains to be seen. But for now, the commission’s word is gospel, the popcorn stalls are closing, and Malta’s most riveting political drama since 2017 has its final scene—at least until the next episode.