The national convention of the PN, which formally kicks off the voting process for a new leaders saw Simon Busuttil making his final address as party leader. 

A total of 15,527 Nationalist Party members will be voting for a new leader tomorrow  – 86% of those eligible – with 2,595 already having opted for early voting.

The rest will be voting at the Granaries in Floriana and MFCC in Ta’ Qali tomorrow from 8am to 9pm, and at the sub-headquarters in Sannat from 8am to 8pm.

The Nationalist Party said 18,000 members had been eligible to vote in the contest between Adrian Delia and Chris Said. The PN has around 22,000 members but around 4,000 are not fully paid-up.

This is the first time that the party membership of any major political party in Malta has a direct say in the election of the leader.

Dr Delia and Dr Said were shortlisted from a field of four candidates in the first phase of the election, where the party councillors were eligible to vote. Alex Perici Calascione and Frank Portelli were eliminated after obtaining the lowest number of votes in the secret ballot.

The winner is expected to be known early on Sunday morning.