The latest figures uncovered by The Times of Malta paint a humiliating picture for the Nationalist Party. As it prepares to crown yet another leader, the PN finds itself in an even deeper crisis than before: its future will be decided not by the young or by the majority of society, but by an ageing club of pensioners who hold the keys to its leadership.
More than half of the PN’s paid‑up members are over 65. Over 80 per cent are older than 45. And while old age should never be ridiculed, these statistics reveal something damning: after losing power 12 years ago, the Party has utterly failed to attract, inspire, or even convince young people that it has a future worth fighting for.
The starkest figure of all? Only 32 members under the age of 20 are eligible to vote. That is less than one per cent of the electorate that will choose between Adrian Delia or Alex Borg. A party that once prided itself on being dynamic, modern, and forward‑looking has decayed into a relic that survives off the fading loyalty of a generation that remembers what the PN was — not what it is.
For over a decade in Opposition, the Nationalist Party had every opportunity to refresh its message, modernise its structures, and build bridges with Malta’s younger generations. Instead, it has been paralysed by factional wars, personality clashes, and nostalgia for past glories. The result? A hollow shell with no fresh energy, no new lifeblood, and no serious future.
Even the candidates themselves have been forced to campaign cautiously, tailoring their message to the sensitivities of the elderly — shying away from issues like cannabis, civil rights, or abortion, terrified to alienate the only demographic still propping them up. This is not political strategy; this is survival mode.
The PN once claimed to stand for renewal and vision. Today, it stands as a warning: when a party stops speaking to young people, it stops speaking to the future.
And that is why the Nationalist Party leadership race is not a democratic revival. It is a retirement home choosing its next warden.
