A party at the crossroads: Winning back Malta’s youth

The Nationalist Party enters yet another leadership contest, and this time the choice falls between Adrian Delia and Alex Borg. The vote on 6 September comes at a time of deep uncertainty and a credibility gap that refuses to close. Previous surveys among the general electorate clarified that the party had failed to connect with younger voters during Bernard Grech’s tenure. The tesserati will now again decide the party’s direction, but it’s still uncertain if the PN can attract more than just aging members and win back younger voters who determine national elections.

Adrian Delia is hoping to restore his reputation and seeks redemption. He comes with the experience of having led the party before, and he argues his track record shows resilience. He speaks with the authority of someone who endured the fiercest internal battles and still holds a strong following within the tesserati. Alex Borg, the young Gozitan MP, represents a generational shift, a candidate who embodies the change that younger voters often demand. Yet we cannot ignore the irony. The people who will decide between Delia and Borg on 6 September are overwhelmingly over 65, according to internal PN data. More than half of the 25,000 members fall within this age bracket. Over 80 percent are above 45. Barely 32 members are under 20. The very people who will vote are not representative of the Maltese youth.

The consequence of this action is that it creates a paradox. Borg positions himself as the youthful candidate, but will depend on the votes of pensioners. Delia presents himself as the experienced candidate who already knows the pitfalls of leadership and promises to bridge divides, but his core support lies within the same aged base. Whoever wins will inherit a party that continues to haemorrhage trust among younger voters. ‘MaltaToday’ surveys repeatedly show this problem. Among those aged 16 to 35, the PN polls are as low as 7.3 percent, sometimes falling behind ADPD (Democratic Alternative- AD and Democratic party- DP). Labour in the same age bracket consistently captures above 28 percent, while one third of young people simply refuse to vote at all. Trust ratings for Bernard Grech in this category barely reached double digits, falling below 10 percent.

The PN cannot afford to continue along this path. An election won among tesserati means little if the new leader cannot convince the public, especially the under-40 demographic that will dominate Malta’s future workforce and electorate. The leadership vote on 6 September risks becoming another inward-looking battle that energises insiders but alienates the broader electorate. The party needs a leader who recognises this gap and adopts a concrete plan to close it.

The first step must involve re-establishing credibility on issues that matter to young voters. Housing affordability ranks at the top. Young Maltese face exorbitant rents and house prices, a situation that forces many to live with their parents well into adulthood. Labour promised affordable housing but failed to deliver meaningful change. The PN should seize this opportunity by proposing schemes that allow young people to purchase or rent at fairer prices, through tax incentives, shared equity models, and a genuine clampdown on speculative practices that drive prices beyond reach.

Environmental protection is an important consideration that follows closely behind other priorities. Young people across Europe and Malta voice frustration at governments that sacrifice long-term sustainability for short-term development. In Malta, planning chaos and overbuilding scar the landscape. Surveys show widespread anger at the Planning Authority’s permissiveness. A PN leader who commits to reforming the Planning Authority, strengthening environmental safeguards, and protecting what remains of Malta and Gozo’s countryside can capture the attention where Grech failed. Policies need teeth, not vague commitments. Clear pledges to stop abusive permits, preserve heritage sites, and reward green spaces will resonate strongly with youth.

Education and skills must also stand at the centre of any youth strategy. Young people today seek opportunities that match the digital economy. They want access to training in technology, artificial intelligence, the creative industries, and renewable energy. The PN cannot win youth trust by repeating old slogans about education. It must commit to modernising curricula, expanding apprenticeships, and partnering with the private sector that drives innovation. A new leader must show that the PN envisions Malta as more than a tourist hub and property market. A Malta that fosters innovation, start-ups, and digital entrepreneurship can appeal to the restless ambitions of young voters.

The next step involves reshaping the way the PN communicates. Surveys highlight another truth: many young voters do not even consider the PN relevant. One third of young respondents said they would abstain from voting. That shows not just disapproval but disengagement. To overcome this, the PN must invest in digital platforms where young people actually engage. The PN should no longer treat TikTok, Instagram, podcasts, and online forums as afterthoughts. Young candidates and spokespeople must lead these channels, not older figures who sound disconnected. The party must speak in a language that resonates, stripped of jargon and stale slogans.

Reform of internal structures also matters. The tesserati system gave every member a vote, but the imbalance in age shows that the fold does not represent wider society. To increase young membership, the party must create incentives that appeal directly to them. Reduced membership fees for students, structured youth wings with genuine influence in decision-making, and dedicated mentorship schemes can build loyalty. The PN needs to show that junior members joining now can influence future policy, beyond just attending rallies.

The leadership contest between Delia and Borg highlights this challenge. Delia can point to experience and to having endured the toughest years of the PN’s history, but he must convince young voters that his comeback is not just about settling old scores. Borg can point to his age and energy, but unless he presents credible ideas, he risks becoming a symbol without substance. Both candidates need to frame their campaigns not just around tesserati alone but around the future voter base. The PN must stop choosing leaders who speak only to older adult members and start choosing leaders who can capture the imagination of the young.

We cannot ignore the general electorate. While tesserati elect the leader, the broader public decides national elections. Under Grech, the PN failed to bridge that gap. Labour still leads consistently by thousands of votes in surveys, and Grech’s trust ratings never threatened Robert Abela. The next leader cannot repeat that error. Winning tesserati is the start, not the end. The real challenge lies in convincing the young electorate that the PN represents a genuine alternative to Labour’s tired promises and broken delivery.

To achieve this, the PN must put forward a programme that looks and feels like the future. Affordable housing, environmental reform, education, and innovation, honest communication, and real youth empowerment are the pillars on which one can rebuild credibility. Without them, the party risks shrinking into irrelevance, trapped in an echo chamber of ageing tesserati who cannot carry the PN into government.

The September 6 election between Delia and Borg therefore carries consequences far beyond the PN’s headquarters. It will determine whether the party remains a nostalgic club for older loyalists or a dynamic movement capable of speaking to a new generation. Malta’s young citizens already showed in surveys that they lost trust in Grech. Now, someone must persuade them that a new PN leader understands their struggles, respects their ambitions, and fights for their future. Without this connection, the PN cannot hope to return to power.