President George Vella said Wednesday that there was no reason for him to resign for failing to sign the IVF bill into law.

Vella has been harshly criticised for not signing the IVF bill into law “without delay”, as stipulated in the Constitution. The bill was signed by Acting President Frank Bezzina when Vella flew to Birmingham last week, three weeks after Parliament approved the bill.

Asked by The Malta Independent why he did not resign, rather than allow his replacement to sign the bill, Vella said that there was no reason to do so.

When it was pointed out to him that Opposition Leader and ADPD had called for his resignation, Vella said that “one should ask them” why they think so. “I will not judge what others said,” he said.

“What’s the news about it?” Vella remarked about a question as to why the law was signed when he was abroad.

One day, the story will be told, he said. “When the time will come, the whole story will be told. (I) will be able to talk about it with more liberty than I can do” as President, he said.

Asked whether he should have resigned rather than go abroad for his replacement to sign the law, the President said “that’s your opinion… a very subjective one”.

Asked whether his behaviour meant that people now have less respect for the president, Vella said that this depends on how much one “wanted to denigrate him… you’re understanding me… respect comes from many places.”