The Nationalist Party should have two assistant general secretaries, with both precluded from running for political office, Adrian Delia has said. 

Dr Delia, a lawyer who is running to be elected PN leader, said that he envisioned having an assistant general secretary focused on political affairs and another on administrative matters. 

He argued that the PN's internal structures had to be shaken up to keep up with the times, noting that while the creation of policy fora and focus groups were steps in the right direction, "they have not had the desired result." 

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"We must create permanent structures within the PN which spread horizontally to include all of the party's various branches," he said. 

Candidate grilling

Dr Delia also said he would ensure that anyone wishing to run for office on a PN ticket would first be grilled by the party's general council, with candidates then whittled down by a candidate committee, which would in turn pass on its recommendations to the party executive. 

The leadership candidate also reached out to PN local councillors, saying that he would ensure they got more help from the party by ensuring that the party's director for local councils role reverted to being a full-time one. 

Dr Delia is contesting the PN leadership with Alex Perici Calascione, Frank Portelli and Chris Said. 

The party's general council will shortlist two candidates in the first week of September, with all PN members then given the chance to cast their vote for either of the two finalists on September 16.