“This is the moment to look ahead. The past teaches us, in the present we mend things, and in the future we win together, said Nationalist Party Leader Bernard Grech. “It’s not important who the team’s captain is, but that the team reaches where it needs to go.”

In his speech during the General Council that formally opened the process to select a new Leader of the PN Bernard Grech emphasised the importance of all those who want a strong Nationalist Party so that our country may have a real alternative to this Government, to look ahead with hope and determination.

While thanking all those who were part of his journey as Leader of the PN, Bernard Grech said that now that he will be stepping aside, he wants his silence to be filled by those who genuinely care about the future of the PN with the fresh and vibrant renewal it needs.

To members and Councillors, he said they will have the privilege to elect the new Leader who must lead the PN to become a party in government; “a Leader who serves the Party, who then finds their ongoing and consistent support.”

Grech said that the Nationalist Party has always been a party that leads the times, not one that is led by them. “It is the Party of Independence, the Party of Democracy, the Party of Europe. It is the Party through which the country moved forward and never looked back.”

He stated that with a new Leader, the PN must once again become this kind of party, and that everyone must help the elected Leader, whoever that may be, “to give birth to a new vision that reflects what people expect from the Nationalist Party today.”

Bernard Grech insisted that people want a credible, better alternative government than the one we have today, a government for everyone, that leads in the true interest of all people.

Bernard Grech closed his speech with a message to the Leader who will be elected, that they will find him by their side and behind them every step of the way.

“Dear Leader, I want you to win, because if you win, Malta wins, Gozo wins, the PN wins, and we all win together.”

With today’s General Council, the process for electing the new PN Leader has officially begun, together with the submission period for declarations of interest for the post, open until Sunday, the 29th of June at 2:00pm.

The General Council, chaired by the President of the General Council Mark Anthony Sammut, also approved three Motions – one of thanks to PN Leader Bernard Grech; another provisionally amending the PN Statute to allow 18-year-olds who have been members for at least six months by 18th June 2025 to vote in the leadership election; and a third approving the election regulations as agreed by the Executive Committee.

During the General Council, the Chairperson of the PN Electoral, Records and Data Commission Mario Callus, also explained the procedure for the election of the new PN Leader.

Deputy Leader of the PN Alex Perici Calascione and Secretary General Charles Bonello also addressed the Council.

Deputy Leader Alex Perici Calascione said that “no one is greater than the Party, and no Party is greater than the country.” He stated that “everyone’s personal ambition should only be a motor to keep pushing the Party forward. The leadership election is only the beginning of what must lead to deep regeneration. Political work, he said, starts and ends with service grounded in past experience.”

The Deputy Leader reiterated that it is only PN councillors and members who choose the Leader of the Nationalist Party and no one else.

Alex Perici Calascione said that people expect the PN to offer the best choice for their own good and the common good. He said the PN can offer a government that serves everyone and encouraged that this work continues more than ever to achieve this.

The PN Deputy Leader said that the country will call on the PN when it is ready, and added that he is certain that when the country calls, the PN will be the alternative government the country needs.

PN Secretary General Charles Bonello said that under Bernard Grech’s leadership, a number of important achievements were made. Among others, he mentioned the significant improvements made by NET FM and NET Television, the victory for justice in the Jean Paul Sofia case, the many important policy proposals presented by the PN in recent years, and last June’s strong electoral result in both the European and local council elections.

While thanking Bernard Grech for his service, Charles Bonello stressed that it is now the duty of everyone who truly cares for the Nationalist Party to rally behind the newly elected Leader, so that the country may finally have a serious alternative to a Government that has brought chaos.

The General Council, opened on Sunday morning, will remain in session until the conclusion of the process to select the new Leader of the Nationalist Party.

Photo: PN

Permalink: This is the moment to look ahead – Bernard Grech