Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1275680
3 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 5 AUGUST 2020 NEWS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Delia enjoys the support of 44% of coun- cillors, which can assure him a place in the run-off. "The rebel MPs know that having too many candidates will split the anti-Delia vote and this could weaken the strongest prospects, which is why they are trying to push one candidate and convince the rest to step aside," the sources said. PN MEP Roberta Metsola and lawyer Bernard Grech appear to be the front run- ners in this exercise with MPs believing both can tick the respective boxes. Metsola was unavailable for comment yesterday but sources close to her said she was gauging internal party support not just for her candidature but also for her idea of radical change. Grech would only tell MaltaToday that he was "still considering what was best for the country and the party" when contact- ed. Neither of the two prospective candi- dates have committed themselves as more talks are expected over the coming days. But the exercise may prove harder than expected because it means that candidates who have shown an interest in contesting have to be convinced to put their ambitions on hold. One such stumbling block could be to convince Therese Comodini Cachia not to contest. She is the only MP so far to have shown an interest, giving her a slight ad- vantage over Metsola and Grech who do not hold a parliamentary seat. Comodini Cachia was chosen by her colleagues to replace Delia as Opposition leader in a bid that was thwarted by the President and has represented the rebel MPs over the past couple of weeks. Comodini Cachia has publicly said that she wants to remain a "cat- alyst" of change with- in the PN, stopping short of declaring a leadership bid. But sources within the party said she was miffed after her apparent side-lining by the same MPs who pushed h e r forward. "One other consideration the prospec- tive candidates are making is the possibili- ty of a general election within the next six months that will not give the new leader a chance to start healing internal divisions," the sources said. The PN's electoral commission yesterday issued a call for expressions of interest in the leadership post. The call, which is open to all PN members, closes on Monday. The call forms part of the screening pro- cess that has to take place before candi- dates are given the go ahead to formally submit their leadership nomination. Any- body who fails the due diligence exercise will not be allowed to run. The screening process can also prove tricky as some of the rebel MPs believe Delia should fail the due diligence exercise. The incumbent is the subject of a magis- terial inquiry on allegations that he re- ceived funds from murder suspect Yorgen Fenech to frustrate David Casa's European election bid. Delia has denied the allegations, insisting he was never offered money, let alone re- ceived it. However, others within the party fear that any attempt to prevent Delia from contesting the leadership race would anger his supporters and create further division within the party. Additional reporting by Saviour Balzan Bernard Grech, Therese Comodini Cachia and Roberta Metsola have all yet to declare of they will run against Adrian Delia Therese Comodini Cachia miffed at being snubbed by MPs who pushed her forward MaltaPost fined for late mail delivery MALTAPOST was fined €10,159 by the Malta Communications Author- ity for being late with the delivery of local single piece mail. The target of 95% for next day de- livery is a requirement placed on MaltaPost as the universal service provider on both single piece mail and bulk. The period between October 2018 to September 2019 saw the next day delivery for bulk set at 95.4%. Mean- while, just 93.2% of single piece mail arrived on time. These quality of service results emerged from independent bodies commissioned by MaltaPost as laid down by the regulator. The MCA also runs its own audits on this process to ensure accuracy. Jesmond Bugeja, CEO at MCA, said: "The MCA as the regulatory watch- dog for the postal services is commit- ted to ensure that quality standards are met, we will take appropriate ac- tion when companies fall short."