Chris Said was last night elected general secretary of the Nationalist Party, completing the new leadership team.

He promised to enact the vast majority of the recommendations listed in the defeat report following talks within the party that would begin with tonight’s general council.

Succeeding Paul Borg Olivier, the former justice minister was elected by the executive committee with 58 out of 62 votes. He was uncontested.

Dr Said told the press that the PN had now completed the first phase of its renewal, having elected all the officials.

“Now, the PN must look forward and work to win back the trust of the people,” he said. His priorities would be to improve the organisation of the party and retain close contact with the people.

He said the PN should regain people’s confidence because it was prepared to serve, not just for the sake of being re-elected.

Ann Fenech, who headed the commission that drew up the defeat report, was yesterday elected executive president, also with 58 votes.

The maritime lawyer succeeds Marthese Portelli and was also uncontested.

The defeat report will not be published in full but its 38-page executive summary was released on Tuesday.

The executive committee also re-elected Karol Aquilina as administrative president and Jean Pierre Debono as assistant general secretary with 49 and 48 votes respectively.

Ten people voted against Dr Aquilina and 11 people voted against Mr Debono.

Alex Perici Calascione was elected treasurer with 40 out of 62 votes. He was contested by Hermann Schiavone who got 22 votes. Dr Perici Calascione succeeds Boris Scerri.

Trevor Degiorgio was elected international secretary with 38 votes, succeeding John Bonello.

Victor Scerri, a former president of the PN’s general council who also contested the post, won 23 votes.

The PN begins a general council today to analyse the defeat. The sessions will continue on Saturday and Sunday morning.

Over the past three months, the party elected a new leader, Simon Busuttil, and two deputy leaders, Mario de Marco and Beppe Fenech Adami, as well as 13 members of the executive, besides re-electing Paula Mifsud Bonnici as president of the general council.

The party held a general council to change the statute to allow the creation of a second deputy leader role and will now hold a second general council in line with the statute that stipulates the holding of such a council three months following an election.

Who is Chris Said?

Born in Nadur in 1970, Dr Said graduated from the University of Malta as notary public and doctor of laws.

He practised law until he was appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Public Dialogue and Information in the Office of the Prime Minister in 2008 and became Minister for Justice, Dialogue and the Family on January 6, 2012.

Dr Said is married to Linda nèe Attard and they have three children: Anastasia, Andrea and Benjamin.

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