Simon Busuttil will not stay on as PN deputy leader

PN deputy leader Simon Busuttil has declared that he will be stepping down as PN deputy leader, and will not seek re-election to the position.

At the same time, Busuttil however neither confirmed nor denied whether he would be throwing his hat in the ring for the party leadership position, saying he was still undecided.

Busuttil was speaking on TVAM on Thursday morning, where he stressed that the PN "needs to be brought into the 21^st century."

Busuttil's comments come in the wake of a several statements over the past few days where he distanced himself from the campaign, admittoing that the election was a foregone conclusion before the campaign start in January.

Speaking to TVM on Monday, Busuttil said: "Everybody must assume responsibility, including myself, however it is evident that the margin is too big and was decided before the campaign started."

In a column he penned for The Times on Wednesday, Busuttil wrote: "When I decided to contest the deputy leadership of the party just a few days before the Government collapsed, I knew I that I was coming in at a very difficult time when the easiest thing for me to do was to stay out of it."

He added that before taking up the post, he was aware that Labour had an "almost unassailable lead" but stressed that he was "prepared to face the consequences."

Busuttil's statements attracted a certain amount of flak, most notably from Nationalist MP Robert Arrigo who told MaltaToday in no uncertain terms on Wednesday that Busuttil also had to step down the PN leadership to make way for new blood.

"So far only Dr Gonzi and Dr Borg Olivier have shouldered responsibility. Others should follow suit and not resort to excuses of coming here only recently. A clean and total change is the only remedy for such a disaster."

Arrigo went as far as to call for the complete removal of the so called 'clique' within the PN, insisting that the posts of party leader, deputy leader, and secretary-general, should be contested by new, fresh people.

He also went as far as to add that presidential posts in the party's executive committee and the administrative council should be similarly vacated and contested by new people.