3rd Congress of the Christian Nationalist Party (Melite)

3rd Congress of the Christian Nationalist Party It-Tielet Kungress tal-Partit Nazzjonalista Kristjan ta Melite (mt.)
Logo of the 2023 CNP Congress
Status	Ongoing
Dates	8 August 2023 – 26 August 2023
Location(s)	Micronationally (de jure): Dominica Autonomous City Comino State Melincia State Macronationally (de facto): Malta Hellas Philippines Eire United States
Country	All Melite
Inaugurated	9 August 2022 (2022-08-09)
Previous event	2nd Congress of the CNP (2022)
Next event	TBD
Attendance	12 Party Members of the PNK
Budget	Nil
Major events	List Chairman election Guest speech by party member and foreign head of state Quintus De Vitaliis Internal reform concerning Party Constitution and policies (planned, but mostly not concluded)
Outgoing Chairman	Matthew Tonna
Patron(s)	Matthew Tonna
Organised by	Christian Nationalist Party of Melite
Slogan	Tiġdid, Tradizzjoni, Għaqda! (Maltese) (English: Renewal, Tradition, Unity!)

The 3rd Congress of the Christian Nationalist Party (Maltese: It-Tielet Kungress tal-Partit Nazzjonalista Kristjan ta' Melite) is being held from 8 August to 26 August 2023 by the Christian Nationalist Party of Melite. This is the third ever Congress ever held by the party and was considered extraordinary. It was convoked by outgoing Chairman Matthew Tonna, in which he announced in anticipation his resignation from Party Chairman, after three years in the helm of the party. The slogan chosen for the Congress was Tiġdid, Tradizzjoni, Għaqda! (English: Renewal, Tradition, Unity!)

The conclusion of the Congress saw Matthew Vella elected as Chairman of the PNK and Jayden Dagsa appointed Vice-Chairman. The party anthem was also changed from 'Cara al Sol' to 'Ave Crux Alba'.

Preparation and Venue

The Congress was held on the online internet platform Discord due to constraints not permitting a physical meeting. An agenda of initially six, later seven points was posted on the party forum which was to be discussed in the Congress, however some points were shelved for a future Congress. All members of the party were invited to participate as delegates and may submit any proposal to the agenda or leave it to 'Other Matters' for discussion or voting.

Agenda

1. Ensuring a presence of members totaling a Quorum of FIVE (5).
2. Announcement of Chairman Tonna's resignation from the office of Chairman of the PNK effective immediately together with the dismissal of the Vice-Chairman.
3. A Chairman election was to be held.
4. Revelation of the Party Constitution for discussion, amendments and ratification by vote of all present PNK delegates.
5. Discussion for a potential change of the party anthem.
6. Other Matters
7. Amendments to the Party Constitution which were not raised in point 4.

This original agenda was presented to the party on 2 August 2022 and tacitly approved by active members of the party. While the need for a constant quorum of five members was satisfied, the Congress did not discuss the Party Constitution as it was not presented, and the matter was shelved for a future Congress.

Proceedings

8 - 10 August 2023

The Congress was convened at 10:59 CET, amidst confirmed news two days before that then-incumbent Chairman Tonna would resign from the Chairmanship of the party, and that an election for Chairman would occur. A quorum of five was achieved at an incredibly slow rate, reaching five at 16:50 CET.

Matthew Tonna's resignation letter

Tonna presented his resignation letter in Maltese and an English copy the next day.

Reproduced below is the English version:

Dear compatriots and party members,

In this year and a half, and maybe for longer, we did immense work for this glorious nation, where we built a strong and stable Melite, without fear, prosperous in Christian Values, however I admit I did not ensure and take care of activity. In fact, as you can clearly see, only a few rash preparations from my part have been done for this Congress.

Without wasting a lot of time with words, through this letter and with immediate effect, I wish to give my resignation as Chairman of the Party and also as Parliamentary leader in the Parliament of Melite, where I also failed to give much needed contribution, and also where as a leader of the PNK I have failed to grant Melite the new Constitution I have had promised it, in part because of academic worries/stress and commitments, and also some laziness on my part. I ask for forgiveness..

I also declare that Vice-Chairman Tomas Jacobs is asked to vacate his position to another member of the Party that shall be chosen by the new Chairman following an election that shall be held right after the releasing of this letter..

In my micronational carrer, I have only few regrets, however I re-iterate my request for forgiveness for my shortcomings as Chairman of the Party, and also as President of Melite, and also when I may have insulted someone without need or justification. However, I may explain, but not apologise for my religious and social beliefs, including my policy on the Family in the Lord God’s plan, that ‘a man and a woman united in marriage, together with their children, form a family’. With God’s grace, nothing shall part me from this teaching.

I wish to thank my political rival, but close friend Julian Cassar, Mayor-President of Fgura has always attended our Party Congresses, and for help he has given to the Party even if he’s not a member and when he was part of another party.

I also wish to thank the Party Secretary, Matthew Vella, for making logistics. I also thank Vice-Chairman Tomas for general help to myself and to the Party.

I also thank Acting Premier Mr. Jayden Dagsa, who garners a great amount of respect from myself, for his aid in the Legislature.

I must also mention my ideological friend and compatriot Kwintu ta’ Vitali with thanks for the mutual respect, collaboration and advice in political questions and other issues.

Forgive me if I forgot someone. No, really. But you are all in my mind.

I wish well to all the Candidates of Chairman for a prosperous term, and I hope that there shall be collaboration between everyone. I shall not disappear, rest assured, friends and enemies alike, with love towards everyone, and hate towards no one 🙂.

I finally suggest the proposal of an amendment to the Party Constitution such that the Chairman of the Party occupies the term for at least ONE YEAR (1 YR) and that an election is triggered automatically after the conclusion of said Chairman’s term. I leave it to the members to do so if they wish.

The Peace of the Lord be with everyone,

— Matthew Pio Paolo Tonna, Letter presented to the Congress

Following this, the positions of Chairman and Vice Chairman of the PNK were declared vacant and an election was triggered.

Reactions

The resignation was met with sadness by party members and even non-member Melitian citizens.

• Christian Nationalist Party of North Zagoria: Tonna's counterpart in North Zagoria, ZA-CNP leader Simeon Nikolov expressed his sadness at the coincidental timing of Tonna's resignation with his (Nikolov's) return to activity.

Chairman election

Official result published by the Party.

Main article: 2023 Christian Nationalist Party chairman election

Two candidates appeared on the ballot in the election from an initial list of four candidates who intended to. These were Matthew Vella (Mustensis), and Jayden Dagsa (Comino). Vella would be declared winner of the election, having a 40-point lead over his opponent Dagsa and the NOTC option. An method to publicly and willfully abstain was provided through the 'None of these Candidates' option which got 2 votes (20%), tying with Dagsa's identical voter share. A turnout of 58%, meaning 10 voting from a total of 18 members was registered, however no patterns could be established since it was the first chairman election.

Candidate		Popular Vote	%	Outcome
	Matthew Vella	6	60	Y Elected
	Jayden Dagsa	2	20	N Not elected
	None of these Candidates	2	20
Total:		10	100
Turnout:				58%

Tonna, now newly appointed party secretary, was permitted by Vella to remain in oversight of the Congress, making this the first time in the PNK a former Chairman presided over his last Congress as Chairman in full. Secretary Tonna requested once again a quorum of five members.

11 August

The day before a quorum of five members was requested for the Congress to continue. This was reached at 14:27 CET and thus the Congress could reconvene, however not for long as at 16:38 CET Secretary Tonna motioned for a recess of 48 hours due to difficulties in finding the latest version of the PNK Party Constitution to be discussed.

Motion to suspend the PNK Congress for 48 hours
Y Yes	4 / 18
N No	0 / 18
Abstained or did not vote	14 / 18

The motion was passed and the PNK Congress was suspended, however for more than the 48 hours in the motion due to unforeseeable circumstances, until ten days later, 21 August.

21 - 26 August

The 21st August was dedicated for the other matters point in the agenda to be brought up by members of the Party to the Congress. Only two motions were put forward.

Congress following feedback poll

Jacobs expulsion motion

A motion to expel party member Thomas Jacobs was put forward by Vice-Chairman Dagsa and read the following:

After frequent imploration of divine assistance, I regretfully move to expel General Thomas Jacobs from the Christian Nationalist Party, and further move to recommend to the President of the Federation his removal from any positions of power he holds at this time, and the stripping of the honours he has received.

I have already bore witness to enough evidence; I assure fellow party members that this is not sudden. In fact, I have been dealing with this matter for almost five months.

His actions are not representative of the ideals of our Party, nor of our Federation in general. It is imperative that our actions be centered on Christian charity: of unconditional love for each other, just as the Lord did unto us. General Jacobs shows otherwise.

I implore the members to support this action. Him being associated with us will not bring us any long-term benefits. Our reputation is at risk in continuing to harbor him.

— Jayden Dagsa, Motion 1/2023

The motion triggered protests by Jacobs who filed a lawsuit to the Supreme Court of Melite against Dagsa accusing him and alleging defamation. The lawsuit, in its demands also requested an apology from the Party. The Party disassociated itself from the lawsuit, which was sub iudice at the time, and negated Jacob's demands through a statement issued by party secretary Tonna which read the following:

As Secretary of the Christian Nationalist Party, I shall have to comment cautiously on the current Supreme Court Case, Jacobs vs. Dagsa without violating the sub iudice custom. As Secretary, I can confirm that the motion Dagsa put in place does not contravene any existing party rules or even the Party Constitution which is still being worked on. The PNK shall not be involving itself IN the case, preferring to leave it as a personal dispute between the two concerned people considering it is only apparently a defamation case. However, I cannot ignore the demand for an apology demanded to the PNK by Mr. Jacobs. The PNK as a polity, and a political party in the DCF. Melite is not in grade to apologise, as it has not done anything to violate Mr. Jacobs rights, thus I urge him to review his demand. All this being said, Mr. Dagsa shall continue to serve in his office as Vice-Chairman of the PNK. As President of Melite, expect a separate announcement on the motion following the vote on said motion.

— Matthew Tonna, Party Secretary PNK

Some hours following the publication of the party leadership's statement, Dagsa publicly released an image as evidence to an instance of Jacob's alleged racism to the Congress for consideration. A member's vote was immediately held.

Do the members of the Christian Nationalist Party of Melite find that Thomas Jacobs should be expelled from the PNK?
Y Yes	2 / 18
N No	2 / 18
Public abstensions	1 / 18
Did not vote	13 / 18

The vote was inconclusive, however the matter was referred to a simple majority, secret vote by the Chairman, Vice-Chairman and the Secretary. The below is the result:

Do the leadership of the Christian Nationalist Party of Melite find that Thomas Jacobs should be expelled from the PNK?
Y Yes	2 / 3
N No	1 / 3

Jacobs was expelled from the Party by an executive vote of 2 in favour opposed to 1 against. Outside the party, his lawsuit for defamation would be dismissed by the Chief Supreme Court Judge for failing to adhering to the prescribed time to testify.

De Vitaliis Guest speech

With the expulsion issue concluded, a guest speech was given by party member and Græcian head of state, Quintus De Vitaliis. His speech revolved around his experience at the Micro Euro Summit 2023. Below is the reproduction of his speech:

My fellow Christian Nationalist partisans,

This summer I had my first ever large scale real-life micronational experience, as an attendee of the 2023 Micro Euro Summit in the Czech Republic.

This event was immensely valuable, as it was the first time I also met micronationalists whom I hadn't already established on-line contact with.

An important aspect of such events is mingling: having the chance to meet new people, casually chat with them, exchange views and information; all conducted under politeness and calmness.

These two core elements are what on-line interactions lack. I've had my fair share of chats with impatient, rude, hostile people with self-inflicted delusion of grandeur and importance -- believe me when I say almost half of my micronational interactions are like that.

Græcia and myself have been accused of things, and a couple of days ago I saw a new attack launched at a pre-existing target, a fellow micronationalist who has been arbitrarily labeled before by angry, confused, delusional individuals, who think their "unique" points of view matter that much.

I am sure these things would not occur off-line, as people behind keyboards and monitors/screens are way to quick to jump into conclusions of their own, while asking for tremendous amounts of information on irrelevant matters: the amounts of information each of us shares is entirely up to us. No one is entitled to explanations of any sort.

The reason I've specifically referred to my interactions in the Czech Republic is because among these individuals were a few with whom I share zero common ideological elements. What we all have in common is (allegedly) common sense and, more importantly, a common, European background, that gives us the right tools to conduct peaceful and meaningful dialogues. And the lack of that is what makes on-line interactions so complicated.

I appeal to you, dear friends: don't give nosey people the satisfaction of ruining your day!

Thank you for your time.

— Quintus De Vitaliis, Governor of Græcia

Vice-Chairman Dagsa maiden speech

Following Mr. De Vitaliis speech, newly-elected vice-chairman Dagsa presented his maiden speech to the Party Congress. In it he thanked the outgoing Chairman and secretary and congratulated his former rival in the race, but now Chairman Vella, guaranteeing him his confidence.

Fellow party members,

Laudetur Iesus Christus! Nunc et in aeternum!

As we end this most consequential Congress of the Christian Nationalist Party, I would like to express my gratitude, firstly to our most excellent President, Matthew Tonna, for his unwavering commitment to serving the nation in his position and guiding the Party to where it is now.

I would like to express my congratulations to our new Chairman, Matthew Vella. I am confident that you will maintain the legacy that our President has started.

And to you, my fellow Christian Nationalist partisans, I thank you for your unconditional commitment and support to the ideals and causes of this, our beloved Party.

May we continue to aspire for a better Melite, that follows the will of God.

Benedictus Deus in saecula. Amen!

— Jayden R. V. Dagsa, Vice-Chairman of the PNK

Chairman Vella's maiden speech

Chairman Matthew Vella would also address the Congress in a short speech, thanking his electors, once again outgoing Chairman and incumbent party secretary Tonna and Vice-Chairman Dagsa for his support. Vella also promised the delivering of the Party Constitution as promised by Tonna before him. The below is his speech:

Dear party members,

Firstly, I would like to thank all the members of the CNP for this congress, especially the president and party founder, Matthew Tonna for his constant support, and the new party vice chairman Jayden Dagsa for his work in the party. Furthermore, throughout my leadership I will do my utmost to continue the work of my predecessor and bring greatness to our party.

This here is my proposal for the Party: the promulgation of the PNK Party Constitution which is currently being drafted by Secretary Tonna. I shall endeavour that this is at least achieved until the end of my term. I'll therefore rely on the Vice-Chairman and the Party Secretary for this to be speeded up and done.

Thank you very much and God bless.

— Matthew Vella, Chairman of the PNK.

Party Anthem change discussion

The final motion brought forward by Tonna was in reference to a change in the Party Anthem. The then-current anthem 'Cara al Sol' (English: Facing Sunward) was considered inadequate, even if it kept true to the Melitian and Christian spirit of saintly combat, however a change was much needed. Tonna proposed 'Ave Crux Alba' (English: Hail to the White Cross), hymn of the Knights of Saint John and national anthem of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta to be adopted as Party Anthem. A member's vote was held and the Yes side won the vote.

A change to the Party Anthem is necessary.As Secretary, I have proposed to the Chairman the hymn Ave Crux Alba (Hail to the White Cross) as Party Anthem.		AVE CRUX ALBA (click play to listen)
Y Yes	4 / 16
N No	0 / 16
Did not vote	12 / 18

Ave Crux Alba was thus adopted.

Conclusion of the Congress

The Congress was declared closed by Tonna at 11:04 CET with these words:

The THIRD Congress of the PNK is declared closed. I am very sorry it took very long to conclude and that not all of the agenda was fulfilled, however I promise that I will help the incumbent Chairman Vella and Vice-Chairman Dagsa to deliver on the Party Constitution promise in the next Congress, for which a date shall be determined in the not-so-far future. Thank you very much for your participation.

CHRISTUS VINCIT, CHRISTUS REGNAT, CHRISTUS IMPERAT!

Deo gratias et Mariæ

— Matthew Tonna, Concluding speech of the Third Congress.

Opinion polling

Three opinion polls were held by TVMelite in all of the Congress. Participation in the polls was open to all Melitian citizens, not just PNK members.

Expressing a preference to Chairman candidates

Polling Company	Date	Jayden Dagsa	Chris Constantin	Matthew Vella	I don't know	Determined not to vote
TVMelite	7 August 2023	0	40	60	0
Thomas Jacobs and Chris Constantin withdraw from the Race

Confidence in outgoing Chairman Tonna

Polling Company	Date	Very Positive	Positive	Negative	Very Negative
TVMelite	7 August 2023	71	29	0