PN MP Edwin Vassallo tells ‘disloyal’ anti-Delia MPs to leave party

Nationalist Party stalwart Edwin Vassallo says he expects those who have been “disloyal” to leader Adrian Delia to resign from the party, saying they “no longer belong”. 

Vassallo was among the minority of MPs who backed Delia in a vote of confidence, which he lost by 19 votes to 11 late on Tuesday night. 

The majority of MPs have since nominated Therese Comodini Cachia as opposition leader and met with President George Vella to trigger the process to replace Delia. 

Vassallo said that while he was ready to work with Comodini Cachia, she was not the leader of the party he represented in parliament. 

He said: “She will be the opposition leader. So be it. But she is not the leader of the party I represent in parliament. There’s a breach of the PN statute so I understand that those who decided to take this path do not belong to the party any longer. I think its only natural. Almost automatic. If you are disloyal to the party leader, then the party is not where you belong.”

Vassallo was one of those who stood by Delia but now he expects those who breached the party statute to resign from the party. “The PN is now made up of all the MPs less those MPs who walked away from their leader.