The PN executive council is expected soon to approve the rules by which the new party leadership team is going to be elected.

According to the draft rules, which need the approval of both the executive committee and the general council, the 1,500-strong general council will choose two candidates from the list of those nominated for the posts of party leader and deputy leaders.

Following this preliminary stage, a General Convention will be called. All members of the party who are paid-up for the last two years (tesserati) will be eligible to vote for the candidate to lead the PN. 

So far, all PN leaders have been elected by the General Council, in which some 900 members are eligible to vote.

2014 reforms established a new process and expanded the number of delegates in the general council.

All members of the party who are paid-up for the last two years will be eligible to vote

The statute states that it is up to the PN executive to draw up the rules how the contest is to move forward.

These rules need the approval of the General Council.

Following his decision to resign last Monday, soon after the PN’s second massive defeat at the polls, Dr Busuttil set in motion the process to select his successor and deputies. Beppe Fenech Adami and Mario De Marco will both step down from their deputy leader posts.

Dr Busuttil made it clear that he will not re-contest for the PN leadership and would decide later whether to retain his parliamentary seat.

It is expected that the process will have come to a close by the beginning of September.

Early speculation that PD leader Marlene Farrugia and other party outsiders may contest has been ruled out, as they have not been paid-up party members for the last two years.

As it stands, none of the sitting MPs have declared any interest in contesting the leadership.

Although technically, the next PN leader could be someone from outside the MP ranks, the person is not permitted to occupy the post of Leader of the Opposition if he is not an MP. 

However, there is a scenario wherein a sitting MP would renounce his seat for the newly elected leader.

This option has been used twice by the Labour Party. In 1983, Labour MP Paul Xuereb gave up his seat to make way for the co-option of Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici, who had been elected designate leader.

In 2008, after Labour’s third consecutive defeat at the polls, Labour MP Joseph Cuschieri gave up his seat so that Joseph Muscat could become Leader of the Opposition.

ivan.camilleri@timesofmalta.com