The government and the opposition have come to an agreement in terms of the method of appointments for members of the judiciary, Prime Minister Robert Abela said during Parliament today.
Abela said that "the government and opposition did not only agree on the appointment Mark Chetcuti as the new Chief of Justice but we have now come to an agreement also on the method of appointment of judiciary. This was once a subject which divided us in the past but now it is a subject which unites us." No details on the agreed upon method for future judicial appointments were given.
"In such a decision the crucial criteria required for the new Chief of Justice was agreed by both the government and opposition which included that the person be humble, honest, disciplined, righteous, one who respects the principles of mankind and a person who has a legal conscience," Abela said.
He added that "this goes to show that we are able to work together for the interest of the country by coming to a mutual agreement on one of the most important and crucial roles, that of the Chief of Justice."
Both Abela and Opposition Leader Adrian Delia agreed that this is a historic day for our country.
Delia said that "both parties were committed to agree on decisions which are just and which will better our country during this crucial time."
He added that "Chetcuti is definitely the right person for the role of Chief of Justice as he will guarantee the country that justice will be served."
The appointment of the post of Chief Justice and of the judiciary has long been a controversial point.
It was the Venice Commission which, in December 2018, criticised the Prime Minister's unfettered power to choose judges and magistrates, arguing that it was not in conformity with contemporary expectation of the workings of a democracy.
NGO Repubblika had also instituted a court case against the method of appointment, one which has since made its way to the European Court of Justice, and have since continually advocated for changes to be made to the constitution to guarantee a judiciary independent from the government.
The same Repubblika praised Wednesday's agreement between the two sides of Parliament, noting that its campaign for judicial independence is starting to pay off.