President Myriam Spiteri Debono on Wednesday exhorted the Government and the Opposition to follow ways leading to an agreement on the appointment of Chief Justice in the spirit which reigned when the Constitutional Amendments of 2020 were agreed upon.

This, in the interest of the Courts and the Administration of Justice, the Rule of Law, the State and above all our people, she said in a short statement.

Earlier, Justice Minister Jonathan Attard has called for both sides of the Parliament to reach a consensus on the heated Chief Justice appointment and for a vote to be taken on this matter later today, during the plenary on Wednesday.

"We are appealing that, through an agreement, the government's resolution is put forward on today's parliamentary agenda, and for a vote to be taken - with respect to the Speaker's ruling," Minister Attard said.

In his video statement, which was published on his Facebook page on Wednesday afternoon, the Minister for Justice appealed for both sides of the Parliament - Government and Opposition - to reach a consensus on who should succeed Chief Justice Mark Chetcuti, who today celebrates his 68th birthday, meaning that he has reached retirement age according to the Constitution.

This Chief Justice appointment marks the first time that this role requires a consensus between both sides of Parliament for a successor to be named. It was this administration that changed the Constitution so that the appointment of the Chief Justice is no longer done directly by the Prime Minister of Malta or via a simple majority within Parliament, Minister Attard said.

On Tuesday, the Prime Minister put forward a parliamentary motion for Judge Consuelo Scerri Herrera to be appointed as the new Chief Justice over the Maltese judiciary.

Minister Attard stated on Wednesday that despite discussions on this matter beginning with the PN Opposition three weeks ago, on Monday, 12 January 2026, the Government was never given the Opposition's official position on its preferred nomination until it rejected this parliamentary motion yesterday.

Minister Attard denounced the way the Opposition has handled this matter, stating that for an institutional process like this, "this country cannot have an Opposition leader who doesn't take a decision" and that as a result, "the government had the duty to act" and formally propose the motion this week.

The Justice Minister asserted that Judge Scerri Herrera has the competence and integrity to be nominated for this prestigious post.

He added that following the Opposition rejecting the motion, "the Government's side of the House requested a ruling from the Speaker, who after studying the case, declared that a lack of agreement from the Opposition's end creates a constitutional crisis where the judicial sector is left without a Chief Justice."

In contrast, the Nationalist Party has since put out a list of four names that it is willing to accept as the next Chief Justice. Consuelo Scerri Herrera is not on this list. The list, which has not been made public, is made up of Anthony Ellul, Edwina Grima, Francesco Depasquale and Wenzu Mintoff.

On this, the Minister for Justice stated that "this is not the serious manner through which we must handle this process. The Government will not accept to allow the country's stability to be endangered."

Minister Attard stated that on Wednesday morning, he accepted a request from the President of Malta, Myriam Spiteri Debono, to urgently discuss this matter. Stating that he will not disclose the exact words disclosed in this confidential meeting, Attard appealed for maturity from all sides to close off this issue.

"We need serious discussion on this matter with experienced people who understand the weight of the decisions behind the country's institutions," Minister said on the Chief Justice impasse.

He concluded that the government will keep working in line with the national interest and that it will continue to see that the country's institutions are working in a healthy and peaceful manner.