[attach id=242603 size="medium"]Paul Borg Olivier concedes election defeat on the giant screen outside PN Headquarters. Photo: Chris Sant Fournier[/attach]
The Nationalist Party will on Thursday be making its first important decisions following its massive defeat at the polls, as its executive meets for the first time since the election.
PN sources yesterday said members of the executive will have a number of decisions to make, including the timeline of the leadership race, the districts where by-elections will be held, and the appointment of a commission to analyse the PN’s defeat.
“This will probably be one of the most important meetings of the executive in years as the party is expected to start charting its way forward after 15 uninterrupted years in government,” one source said.
According to the PN statute, the General Council of the party must meet within three months of the general election to confirm the party leader and elect a new deputy leader.
Lawrence Gonzi has declared he will be stepping down from the post. The party will have to decide the timeframe for receiving nominations and holding the election within the general council.
The latest date for the election of a new PN leader is June 10, although party sources said it may be held earlier particularly as Parliament will have started sitting two months earlier. So far, no one has declared his intention to contest, although a number of senior figures have been touted such as Jason Azzopardi, Simon Busuttil, Mario de Marco, Tonio Fenech, Beppe Fenech Adami and Chris Said.
The party will also need to elect a new deputy leader as Dr Busuttil, who currently holds the post, has declared he will not be re-contesting after being elected some three months ago.
The executive is also expected to decide the six districts where a by-election is to be held to elect new PN members of Parliament.
After a presentation by the candidates who may contest the by-elections, the executive will vote on which districts should be opened up.
Six PN MPs were elected on two districts and will each have to vacate one of their seats, to be filled by the runner-up in that district.
The decision over the districts to be vacated by Dr Gonzi, Dr Busuttil, Mr Fenech, Joe Cassar, George Pullicino and Robert Arrigo will be taken in a secret ballot by the executive members and not by the individual MPs.
The executive agenda will also include the formal appointment of a commission to study and analyse the electoral defeat. The commission is expected to include people from outside the formal PN’s structures.