Abela gets another drubbing by PL delegates

Robert Abela suffered another setback among Labour delegates over the weekend after only one candidate on a block vote he backed secured a place on the party’s executive, according to Labour sources who spoke to The Shift.

The election, held during Labour’s general conference, saw 32 candidates contest 12 seats reserved for delegates’ representatives. Sources said the prime minister and party leader had backed a preferred list of candidates close to him to strengthen his control over the executive.

Instead, delegates largely ignored his choices, favouring established party figures and leaving several candidates associated with his office outside the elected group.

The most embarrassing result, according to the sources, was that of Sean Schembri, Abela’s deputy chief of staff at the Office of the Prime Minister. Schembri received just 94 votes, failed to secure a seat and was described by sources as one of the election’s worst performers.

His rejection was particularly uncomfortable for Abela given Schembri’s proximity to the prime minister and his position within the OPM.

Other unsuccessful candidates identified by Labour sources as members of Abela’s block vote included Owen Grech, his former head of customer care at the OPM, Eman Felice, described as particularly close to the Labour leader, and Wayne Sammut.

According to the same sources, Nolan Camilleri was the only candidate on Abela’s list to make it onto the new executive.

Organising block votes are a familiar feature of internal party elections. This time, however, sources said the outcome exposed the limits of Abela’s ability to persuade delegates to back his choices.

Among those securing strong results were veteran Labour figures Ray Azzopardi, Gozitan Guza Cassar, Jason Micallef and former party chief executive George Azzopardi.

The latter’s election carries added significance because, according to Labour sources, his relationship with Abela has soured.

Sources interpreted the overall outcome as another drubbing for the leader and a further indication that his standing among Labour’s core activists is weakening.

The result follows earlier signs of shifting support within the party.

In July, Deputy Prime Minister Ian Borg had outperformed Abela in Labour’s post-election leadership confirmation vote. Borg received 639 votes in favour and 15 against, compared with Abela’s 627 in favour and 36 against. Both comfortably secured confirmation.

That vote followed May’s general elections, which highlighted the growing personal vote tallies of Borg and Finance Minister Clyde Caruana.

Borg secured 10,108 first-preference votes across two districts, almost double his 2022 tally, while Caruana increased his vote from 3,015 to 5,775.

Abela’s average share of Labour’s first-count votes in his districts slipped from 70.3% to 69.6%.

Labour sources had identified Borg and Caruana as possible future leadership contenders, while acknowledging that Abela remained firmly in control.