Opposition Leader Bernard Grech has announced his resignation during a live feed at noon on Tuesday, saying he will be leaving the party stronger than he found it.
“I inherited a party fraught with internal strife following bitter losses. I did everything in my power to unite the party,” he said.
Grech said he took the decision “with a strong sense of duty and loyalty towards the party and the Maltese and Gozitan people” to allow the PN to begin a new chapter in its leadership.
Grech emphasised that while this was a difficult decision, it was taken with the conviction that a change in leadership is now the necessary step for the Party “to continue growing and strengthening itself as a credible alternative government”.
He said it was time to hand over to someone who could continue to take the party forward, “whoever he or she is.”
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola is a clear favourite among PN voters. While she has been dangling the possibility for years, she has always chosen to remain in Brussels. Party insiders told The Shift that this is the definitive moment in which she must decide.
Meanwhile, Grech will continue to serve as PN Leader until a successor is appointed. His resignation is believed to have been pushed following recent surveys on voter preferences.
Grech pointed out that the PN had some success in the last elections, electing more local councillors and increasing the voter base. In a statement, the party thanked Grech, saying that during his time, the PN witnessed renewal within the parliamentary group, notable electoral achievements, and a deepened commitment to the public.
In an emotional speech, Grech thanked all those who had supported the party’s cause and voters who shared the difficulties they faced with him. “I will remember every word, every handshake and every genuine embrace.”
He said, “These were five years in which I experienced moments of joy, especially when we gave people hope, but there were also difficult moments when we realised we could have made better decisions.”
“The future is bright, as long as we continue to work together,” he concluded.
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If Bernard Grech really wanted to do the right thing, he should have put his ego aside back in 2022 and resigned when the Nationalist Party lost that general election.
It will be impossible for his successor to unite the party under his/her new leadership and develop enough electoral clout to win the next election in 2027. Not even Roberta Metsola, if she were crazy to decide to do so, could pull that off.
Kudos to the Nationalist Party for doing anything it can not to get re-elected.
But that ‘s the identical situation Bernard Grech faced 5 years ago!
Mhux Bernard grech biss ghandu jirrizenja. Il pn ghandu qabda li jahsbu li huma kollox u huma kissru il partit.
L partiti mkisser ghax l poplu jaf li dawn qabda politici li mhux qeghdin hemm ghal pajjiz!! Dik l verita! 100,000 ma johorgux jivvutaw ghal din ir-raguni w mhux ghax l partit mkisser!
Naqbel mieghek.jien wiehed min dawk li mhux ha nivvota iktar.
Zied lili mieghek.
Kieku verament ried gid lil pajjiz kien johrog qatta bla habel jiggieled ghal ambjent u kontra dal kruha ta kostruzzjoni…..ma kienx jghid li l kaccatur l aqwa habib tan-natura….ma kienx jghid li Malta mhiex full up u ghandna bzonn izjed nies….ma kienx jghid li manoel Island hemm kuntratt u jrridu nirrispettawh…..u l lista tkompli! Hlief korruzzjoni ma semmhiex! Tajjeb hafna jiggieled l korruzzjoni anzi tajjeb hafna imma trid tghid x ser taghmel ghal pajjiz, f liema direzzjoni ser twassal l pajjiz u turi li verament ghandek ghal qalbek lil Malta mhux qabda paroli fil-vojt u sustanzi xejn!
Noteworthy news. May the new leader understand the party that Robert Abela leads.