Delia, Grech to face off for PN leadership as applications close
Lawyer Bernard Grech and PN leader Adrian Delia will face off in the upcoming party leadership election as no other eligible applications were received by the 3pm deadline on Monday.
In a statement, the Nationalist Party’s election commission said the names of the two candidates will now be passed on to another commission responsible for carrying out the due diligence process.
The process can take a maximum of six weeks, although it is possible that is is concluded earlier.
Rebel MPs have thrown their weight behind Grech as their best hope to defeat Delia when the vote is held among party members.
The decision saw MEP Roberta Metsola and PN MP Therese Comodini Cachia, who were seen as likely candidates, bow out of the race before it even began.
Delia, who only took over at the party's helm in September 2017, has faced a succession of no-confidence votes in the parliamentary group, PN executive committee and general council.
Last month, 56% of the members of the PN general council opted for a leadership contest, defeating Delia’s preferred option of a confirmatory vote in his leadership by PN members.
Polls have shown Grech, a relative party outsider, enjoying a surge in...