Dissecting the PN’s dramatic defeat

The report on the Nationalist Party’s defeat says the former government was one of the best in history but lists more than 150 reasons why it suffered an unprecedented electoral bashing. Christian Peregin breaks it down. The PN did not publish its defeat report in full but its 38-page executive summary leaves plenty to digest. It starts by describing the previous government as one of the best in Malta’s history and describes former Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi as one of the country’s greatest statesmen. But after praising Malta’s economic feats and acknowledging Dr Gonzi’s major challenges, the rest is a scathing review of the past five years. The report contains various omissions, namely the impact of new leader Simon Busuttil on the campaign and the effectiveness of Labour’s energy plan. It also fails to present a clear picture of how the PN campaign was run and who was calling the shots. At times, however, it is starkly honest, admitting to failings that the PN and the former government worked hard to play down. It is also surprisingly fair to Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and the results he achieved as Labour leader, admitting for the first time that he was...