Almost a week after asking Simon Busuttil to “suspend himself”, Nationalist Party leader Adrian Delia is yet to convene the parliamentary group amid concerns he could face a backlash from dissenting MPs.

Sources told the Times of Malta the majority of PN MPs disagreed with Dr Delia’s decision to call on Dr Busuttil to suspend himself from the party in the wake of the publication of the main findings of the Egrant inquiry.

The PN leader made his call on Sunday after Magistrate Aaron Bugeja found no documentation linking the Prime Minister’s wife to Panama company Egrant.

Dr Busuttil repeated the allegation, first made by slain blogger Daphne Caruana Galizia, during the last electoral campaign.

While a number of MPs publicly expressed disagreement with the PN leader’s decision on social media, posting the slogans “#notinmyname #strongertogether”, Times of Malta is informed that other parliamentary group members disapproved of Dr Delia’s move. They, however, “kept quiet” in the hope the party would somehow come out of this impasse through ongoing mediation efforts.

Many MPs feel Adrian Delia’s decision to suspend the former leader was taken in haste

“If push comes to shove and a motion is filed to express disapproval with the decision to suspend Dr Busuttil, it would find the backing of at least 15 MPs, excluding Dr Busuttil himself,” sources said. That would be enough for the motion to be approved by the group of 29 MPs.

“While there are huge reservations about the manner in which Dr Busuttil handled the Egrant controversy, many MPs feel Dr Delia’s decision to suspend the former leader was taken in haste and would only serve to create an even bigger rift within the party, between the so-called old guard and those close to Dr Delia,” the sources added.

On Thursday, Times of Malta asked the PN about the date of the next parliamentary group meeting. Sources said that calls made last Monday to convene an urgent meeting were not heeded. They also pointed out that, according to the party statute, the parliamentary group must meet at least once a month.

Though a scenario in which the parliamentary group blocked Dr Delia’s request for Dr Busuttil to be suspended would not translate in a vote of no confidence, it would leave the PN leader like a sitting duck and subject to huge embarrassment, observers noted.

Moreover, it would sound alarm bells about his constitutional role of Opposition leader, they added.

According to the Constitution, the office of leader of the Opposition shall become vacant if, in the judgment of the President, “the leader of the Opposition has ceased to command the support of the largest single group of members in opposition to the government”.

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