\u2018We haven\u2019t even started yet,\u2019 Borg tells activists at general council<\/p>\n
Nationalist Party leader Alex Borg has pledged to press ahead with an ambitious programme of reform aimed at bringing the PN closer to voters, insisting that despite losing the 2026 General Election, the party has emerged stronger and better positioned to challenge for government.<\/p>\n
Addressing the PN General Council, convened to formally begin the leadership confirmation process outlined in the party statute, Borg struck a defiant tone, arguing that the election result should not be viewed solely as a defeat but as the beginning of a new phase for the party.<\/p>\n
“We haven’t even started yet,” Borg told party activists and officials, urging them not to allow disappointment to extinguish the momentum built over recent months. He said the question facing the party was less what happened during the election campaign but more what it would do next to become a winning political force.<\/p>\n
While acknowledging that the PN failed to secure government, Borg highlighted what he described as tangible signs of progress, including an increase of 13,000 votes compared to the 2022 election, victories in six electoral districts and an 18,000-vote swing in the party’s favour. He argued that these gains demonstrated that the PN remained “alive and effective” and was undergoing a process of renewal.<\/p>\n
The PN leader said voters were looking for an opposition that was grounded, effective and capable of understanding the realities faced by Maltese and Gozitan families. He pledged to continue meeting people across the country and to ensure the party remained present in every locality, business sector and community, rather than only becoming visible during election campaigns.<\/p>\n
Borg also outlined a series of reforms aimed at modernising the party’s structures. Among the proposals is a revision of the party statute to create two separate deputy leader roles, one focused on parliamentary affairs and another dedicated to strengthening the organisation and operations of the party itself. According to Borg, the change would help build a more professional, organised and effective political movement capable of meeting future challenges.<\/p>\n
Seeking confirmation to continue leading the PN, Borg said he was not asking for support because he was indispensable, but because the renewal project launched in recent months still had considerable ground to cover. <\/p>\n
He also said that more than 1,000 volunteers had stepped forward to offer their services to the party in the hours following the election result, describing it as evidence of the enthusiasm and determination that still existed within the PN.<\/p>\n
Much of Borg’s speech echoed the conclusions contained in a report presented earlier by Mary Anne Lauri, the party’s President of Political Research, which compiled feedback from more than 1,000 respondents and discussions held during five regional assemblies.<\/p>\n
Lauri said one of the strongest themes to emerge from the consultation process was what participants repeatedly described as the “Alex Borg effect”. Respondents associated Borg with renewed energy, authenticity and credibility, while many credited him with attracting new people to the party and generating enthusiasm that had been missing for several years.<\/p>\n
The report found that the PN’s policy proposals were generally viewed positively and regarded as serious and substantial. However, many participants felt that the proposals did not reach enough people and, in some cases, were unveiled too late to make a significant impact. Feedback also pointed to shortcomings in communication, with respondents saying some messages were overly complex and not explained clearly enough.<\/p>\n
Among the recurring concerns identified in the report were weaknesses in internal communication, organisational structures and the use of data. Participants also stressed the need for stronger local roots among some candidates and called for greater efforts to engage voters who either stayed away from the polls or remained unconvinced by the PN’s message.<\/p>\n
Lauri said the dominant sentiment emerging from the assemblies was that many people wanted change but were still not fully convinced that the PN had changed enough to deliver it. Building trust and credibility, she said, remained the party’s biggest challenge.<\/p>\n
The report also highlighted concerns about media imbalance, allegations of vote-buying and abuse of power during the electoral process, and a perception that the PN could have adopted a stronger stance on corruption issues. At the same time, participants praised the quality of the party’s campaign and electoral programme, describing them as signs of significant progress and reasons for optimism about the future.<\/p>\n
Earlier, PN Secretary General Charles Bonello described the election result as a starting point rather than an end point. He noted that the party had substantially reduced the gap separating it from Labour after three consecutive electoral defeats and argued that the momentum generated under Borg’s leadership should continue. Bonello accused the government of calling an early election because support for the PN was growing and claimed that Labour had benefited from the advantages of incumbency and state resources during the campaign.<\/p>\n
PN Deputy Leader Alex Perici Calascione also thanked activists and officials for their work throughout what he described as one of the shortest and most intense electoral campaigns in recent history. He characterised the contest as an unequal battle against the power of incumbency but insisted that the party must now focus on reflecting on the lessons learned, acting on the conclusions drawn and continuing its forward march without pause.<\/p>\n
Opening the General Council, PN President Mark Anthony Sammut argued that the party’s post-election reflection could not ignore what he described as serious abuses of the power of incumbency during the campaign. <\/p>\n
Sammut cited a range of alleged practices, including direct orders, job offers, promotions, collective agreements and even the allocation of boat moorings on election day itself. He stressed that while he was not claiming such actions alone cost the PN the election, they undoubtedly had an impact on the final result. <\/p>\n
Sammut lamented what he said was the erosion of the principle of a caretaker government and questioned how such practices could be tolerated in a modern European Union member state. <\/p>\n
Calling for reform, he said the PN must take a firm stand against corruption and abuse of power and insist on legislative intervention to safeguard the integrity of future electoral contests. He nevertheless acknowledged that the party had made significant gains compared to previous elections, reducing the gap with Labour and fostering a renewed sense of optimism among supporters.<\/p>\n