The internal elections that the Labour Party will be holding later this month will see all the top places - except that of the leader - change hands. This is viewed as an effort to inject new blood into the party after its lead was more than halved in the June elections for the European Parliament and local councils. But it may also be described as a damage limitation exercise, as most of the available slots will simply be an endorsement, by the general conference, of the single candidate who is contesting.

There are two positions, which are being contested by two candidates, and one of them, that for president, will also serve as a test for Robert Abela's popularity and strength, given that one of the candidates publicly admitted that she was pushed to throw her name in by the prime minister and party leader.

The other role, which is being contested by two candidates, is that of international secretary.

Before all this could happen, the Labour Party has already been in the news for once again changing its statute with regards to the eligibility of candidates for the post of deputy leader for party affairs, signalling a change of direction depending on the party's momentary needs, rather than being a point of principle.

Labour delegates voted in favour of statutory changes which again allow a sitting MP or MEP to contest the role of deputy leader for party affairs. This was the third change in less than a decade - in 2016, the PL had allowed MPs to contest the position, ostensibly to bring in the uncontested Konrad Mizzi as close to the top, and Joseph Muscat, as possible. In 2020, the statute had been reversed to prohibit MPs from contesting, but in 2024 it was changed again to allow MPs and MEPs to vie for the position, again apparently to accommodate Alex Agius Saliba, the only contender. The other deputy leadership post, for parliamentary affairs, is being contested only by Foreign Minister Ian Borg.

Borg and Agius Saliba will be replacing, respectively, Chris Fearne and Daniel Micallef. Fearne pulled out when he was criminally charged in connection with the hospitals' deal, while Micallef announced his departure at an unusual time, choosing the moment between the vote-counting for the European Parliament elections and the local council elections to make his decision public.

While Borg was the only name that emerged for the post of deputy leader for parliamentary affairs, although others may have been interested in the post, but stayed away to keep the peace, the second deputy leadership post did not come without controversy.

For one thing, former party secretary general Jason Micallef had expressed his intention to contest the position, but was talked out of it following a meeting with Abela. It did not take long after his withdrawal for him to be given something else to do - a position that was created for him, possibly as a way to keep him out of the race for the deputy leadership post.

Micallef was appointed by the party administrative committee as Labour's "special" delegate to oversee the implementation of the electoral manifesto, a position that overlaps that of Minister Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi, who is already tasked with the implementation of the electoral manifesto.

Another MEP, Josianne Cutajar, had also been seen as a potential candidate for the same post, which would have pitted her against her former Brussels colleague. But she ultimately resisted calls for her to contest, in what is seen by many as the party's effort to avoid a battle for the post and prevent further confrontation and dissent.

This was a similar situation to that of Clifton Grima, who was seen as a potential candidate to "battle" against Ian Borg, but in the end the "one candidate" idea prevailed, for both deputy leadership posts.

 

The chosen ones

The two contenders for the two major roles seem to have been "handpicked" by the prime minister, as they were the only ones to contest their role.

Borg is the only one seeking approval from party delegates for the role of deputy leader for parliamentary affairs, a role focused on legislative and governmental responsibilities reserved for MPs, and the person occupying the role automatically becomes deputy prime minister if the PL is in government. The post was vacated by Fearne in May and was kept vacant by the PM until Borg officially takes over.

Borg, whose primary work involves being out of the country, also oversaw Malta's diplomatic service during its mandate at the United Nations Security Council in 2022 after being made Minister for Foreign Affairs.

He was previously Parliamentary Secretary for EU funds, a post given to him by then-Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, before he was promoted to Transport and Infrastructure Minister in 2017.

Borg was under fire when the Transport Malta driving licence racket was exposed, but Abela defended the minister saying that Borg was just doing his job.

Earlier this year, the Standards Commissioner for Public Life declined to investigate Borg's connection with the racket following a request from independent candidate Arnold Cassola, citing that the events were "time-barred". The Commissioner also argued that an investigation could have prejudiced ongoing court proceedings related to the matter.

Re-elected MEP Agius Saliba will be on his own for the role of deputy leader for party affairs, which is a position that focuses on managing and overseeing internal and organisational functions of the party.

While he was the Labour party's most popular candidate in this year's MEP election, garnering an overwhelming majority over the PL's other candidates, Agius Saliba stirred some controversy after he invited Muscat to the launch of his election campaign. Muscat stands accused with corruption, bribery and money laundering in the three hospitals' case.

Agius Saliba has repeatedly defended Muscat after the Vitals magisterial inquiry was concluded, dubbing the inquiry a "political vendetta" and praised Muscat's work achieved during his administration.

He was elected for the first time in the MEP elections of 2019, after being long involved within Labour's party structures, including its youth wing, Forum Zghazagh Laburisti.

 

Battle for presidential post comes with no guarantees

Contrary to Borg and Agius Saliba's uncontested roles, the role of Labour party president will be a battleground for two candidates - former mayor Alex Sciberras and former TVM head of News Norma Saliba, who now heads the Centre of the Maltese Language. Both are busily meeting delegates in the run-up to the election, in a bid to garner support. The role was previously held by Ramona Attard, who said she was not considering another term.

Saliba announced on Facebook that after much thought and discussion, she decided to "accept Prime Minister Abela's invitation" to contest the role of party president.

Saliba said she would work to fulfil party delegates' and activists' wish of ensuring that the Labour Party remains Malta and Gozo's biggest political force. She said that fresh ideas and new impetus are needed for the party to renew itself.

She also said she had the backing of Minister Borg and MEP Agius Saliba, the two confirmed candidates for the party's two deputy leadership positions.

A controversial figure, Saliba left the PBS newsroom last year to take up the position of the newly-established language centre, an appointment that was criticised by Maltese language NGOs.

It is unclear if Saliba, who is still on the books of PBS as an employee, would be stepping down from her role at the Centre for the Maltese Language if elected, as the Culture Ministry refused to comment, and said it would only speak up after the PL elections' results.

Despite being Abela's favourite choice, Saliba is far from being the guaranteed winner in her run for Labour president, as Labour insiders told Maltatoday that while Saliba does have Labour sympathies, with her father, veteran sports reporter Mario Saliba, also being a well-known delegate, she has never been active in the party.

She will be facing former Msida Labour mayor Sciberras, who was a member of the PL executive for three terms. He is a lawyer, and the son of deceased judge, Philip Sciberras.

Sciberras was also a Labour candidate on a national level, as well as a participant in district committees, a legal consultant in the Muscat secretariat and a regular commentator for Labour in the media.

While he could be a viable alternative to Saliba for delegates, Sciberras is well known for not being on the best terms with Prime Minister Abela, apparently having been discouraged by Abela himself in putting forward his candidacy, Labour insiders told the newspaper.

In his post announcing his intentions to contest, Sciberras said that he has "always been driven by a sense of loyalty to what the Labour Party stands for and the ideals upon which it is founded. Today, I recognise that the Party needs this more than ever".

Sciberras had been considering contesting for the post of deputy leader for party affairs until the statutory change made MPs and MEPs eligible.

A third potential candidate was Ishmael Psaila, who however announced publicly that he had been told that his role as a lawyer for Muscat was an "obstacle" for the party.

 

Other roles

Other positions up for grabs within the administration of the party include that of International Secretary of the Labour Party, a role which oversees Malta's representation on an international level.

Advisor within the Economy Ministry and Aaron Farrugia's former chief-of-staff John Grech and head of Secretariat for the Parliamentary Secretariat for Equality and Reforms Georvin Bugeja have submitted their nominations.

For the post of vice president, head of Secretariat in the Ministry for Social Policy, Louis Gatt, is the sole candidate. The role allows the person to act in absence of the party president, while also overseeing certain projects within the party.

For the position of Organizational secretary of the Labour Party, Architect William Lewis is the only nominee.

The Commission also accepted nominations for 12 ordinary members in the National Executive of the Labour Party, with 38 members submitting their nominations.

Voting will take place on 13 and 14 September, with the results announced soon afterwards.

There has already been one big change in the top places of the Labour hierarchy, one that does not need an election, but which ruffled some feathers. CEO Randolph De Battista has left the post - and will be made ambassador - and he has been replaced by Leonid McKay, handpicked by Abela, who had admitted that there had been differences of opinion with De Battista. Former head of communications Nigel Vella, who seemed heading for De Battista's position, was pushed aside.

 

The future

While Abela has secured no fall-out from the two deputy leadership elections, he faces a bigger challenge when the conference selects the party's president. Delegates will have the opportunity to make a choice that could either bolster or challenge Abela's vision for the party's future.

However, an important question must be raised: will the elections result in a genuine transformation within the Labour Party or will the prime minister's handpicked choices ensure that the current trajectory will be maintained?

The results of these elections will not only shape the party's leadership, but also its direction for the years to come