Much has already been written about the Nationalist Party’s massive electoral defeat at the polls. Although Labour’s victory was expected, the margin took everyone by surprise. Well, almost everyone.

The biggest challenge is to build a party where everyone is given space, toeing the same party line

The opinion polls had been spot on, consistently suggesting a 12-point lead for Labour. Still, only a few seemed willing to give credence to such a gap – after all, why would the electorate shun the PN so heavily?

There may be 36,000 reasons for such a massive swing. Reducing the blame to single episodes may be impossible but post-mortem reflections will help to do just that. PN supporters ought to appreciate that a blame game will lead nowhere. The party stood up as whole and has gone down as a whole.

When Lawrence Gonzi claimed that good leadership (and good decisions) enabled the country to weather the storm it seemed to many that Malta would have gone through unscathed irrespective of who is leading us. This judgement, as erroneous as it may be, has led many to believe that handling the economy well is not a sufficient qualification to be confirmed in government. Steering the country through the worst global recession experienced since 1929 was considered a basic achievement of the Government.

Despite low unemployment and a thriving economy, the PN was voted out of office. Why?

In my opinion, the overriding issue was the length of time the PN had been in office.

Yes, there were a number of mistakes made by the Government and the party over the past five years, but the electorate wanted a change of faces.

To his credit, Joseph Muscat managed to change Labour’s image and the people did not feel uncomfortable about voting Labour in power. Being part of the Labour movement became more appealing to all and sundry, including traditional PN loyalists who felt comfortable crossing the Rubicon.

Could this result have been prevented? No.

The 2008 election had been won by a handful of votes. The PN seemed close to the precipice already in 2008.

The 2008-2013 legislature seemed more of an extension than a mandate. The electorate had, for the umpteenth time, rejected Labour, under Alfred Sant, and voted for another Nationalist Administration.

Pundits may argue that the margin of the defeat might have been narrower had this election been called earlier but such consideration is futile.

Who is responsible for this result? Listing the achievements of the past Administration would take more than an article.

Pinpointing responsibilities will be part of an exercise the party will undertake. Gonzi has, unequivocally, assumed responsibility for the result. In such a gesture, we find another act of fine leadership.

It is not important to identify which heads will roll after this result. What is important is to keep the spirit of collegiality strong in victory but stronger in defeat.

I must say a word about Gonzi. During his time in office, he worked tirelessly to serve our country. His statesmanship during the Libyan crisis will be etched in Malta’s glorious history. He has earned the admiration of his European colleagues and the package he negotiated on the eve of the election is the best testament to his leadership capabilities.

What is the way forward that the PN should follow?

It is wrong for anyone to think that the entire party’s administration ought to resign.

It is also wrong for anyone to suggest that the next leader of the party ought to be found from outside. The party has a number of valid candidates to choose from.

Yes, a leader’s election is always difficult and, unless handled well, could lead to further fragmentation of the party.

I am sure, however, that once the election is over, we will all stand behind the winner and work together to restore the PN to its former glory.

Before electing the new leader, it is wise to hold a general council to discuss the election result. A preliminary report and analysis of the election result should take precedence.

A comprehensive analysis will take a few months to conduct but is necessary for the new party administration.

We have in the past always elected the three most important posts of the party (leader, deputy leader and secretary general) separately. I think this is the right time to present to the councillors of the party a leadership team rather than going through different elections.

The party leader ought to be given the opportunity to choose his deputy and secretary general.

The party’s troika needs to be attuned to the party’s challenges working closely at giving the strength, courage and confidence to give the majority back to the PN. The journey is uphill.

The party will, in the coming months, renew itself. The new party leader has a difficult task of rebuilding a party with limited resources. There are many challenges ahead. The biggest challenge is to build a party where everyone is given space, sharing different beliefs but toeing the same party line.

The real challenge is to do this without compromising our fundamental beliefs.

I am sure that the party will rise to these challenges. I am sure it will come out strong. I am sure that, like always, the party councillors will make the right decision.

The party is certainly in for interesting times. New talent, new skills, new energy will be discovered on the way.

A heavy blow has been dealt to the PN but strong it shall remain.

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