Lydia Abela has resigned from the post of secretary to the Labour Party executive, and has been replaced by Catherine Fenech, the PL said in a statement.

Fenech has been named secretary of the party executive in a unanimous decision. She will be the second person, after Abela, to hold the position. Abela, who is the Prime Minister’s wife, was secretary for 10 years.

Fenech has been involved in the PL structure since she joined the Young Socialists Group, today known as the Labour Youth Forum, at the age of 16. She is a party delegate, a member of the party’s women’s group and a participant in LEAD, the organisations which promotes women’s participation in politics. She has served as president of the Lija PL committee. In 2015, she was approved by the party administration to become the coordinator of the party’s committees. She has been a member of the executive for five years.

In her resignation letter, Lydia Abela said a woman is not the extension of her husband’s office, but she wants to dedicate her energy to help her husband in the new responsibilities he has as PM and party leader.