VALLETTA, June 10 (Xinhua) -- Malta's opposition leader, Bernard Grech, resigned on Tuesday following worsening polls halfway through the legislature.
He announced his resignation in a televised statement on the Nationalist Party's TV station.
"It is time for a new chapter," he said. "A change in leadership is what is needed to take the party forward."
The resignation came just two days after a media survey revealed that his party had nosedived in regular polls that are carried out periodically. There was also a widening approval rating gap between Grech and Prime Minister Robert Abela, who heads the Labour Party. Malta has a two-party political system.
Grech, 54, said he would remain in the leadership role until a successor is elected. He vowed to support the next leader.
A lawyer by profession, Grech, took the helm of the party in 2020. The party has lost successive general elections since 2013. ■
