Leader of the Opposition Alex Borg on Thursday asked President of Malta Myriam Spiteri Debono to act as a guarantor of the process for the appointment of the new Chief Justice and to preside over every meeting between himself and the Prime Minister regarding this nomination.
On Wednesday, The PN parliamentary group has blocked Judge Consuelo Scerri Herrera from being appointed as Malta's next Chief Justice. The motion to appoint her as the Chief Justice, presented by the Prime Minister, failed to reach the required two-thirds parliamentary majority of 53 votes in favour. The debate in Parliament was heated, and saw many political jabs made between the Prime Minister and Opposition Leader towards each other.
In a message published on his social media on Thursday, the Leader of the PN said that, in circumstances such as these, he believes the President is the most appropriate person to defend the Constitution of Malta and the processes related to it.
In this context, he asked her to chair the meetings that must take place between himself and the Prime Minister on this nomination, adding that he also believes the same process should apply to the appointment of the Auditor General.
The PN, in a statement, said that Alex Borg believes this is in the best interests of the country in order for us to move forward, because Malta must come first and foremost.
The PN Leader said that he is taking this step in light of "the many false statements that have been made regarding communication between himself and the Prime Minister," a statement by the PN read.
"He said the process has lost its importance and credibility because it is no longer about who will be Chief Justice, but about whether the Maltese people can trust the Prime Minister in the way he conducts himself," the PN said.
He explained that he is doing this not to obstruct or to say no to anything or anyone, but in the national interest and to ensure institutions that are sincere and that do not steamroll over everyone.
The PN said that Alex Borg invited everyone to observe and assess the Prime Minister's behaviour over the past weeks, "during which he changed his version more than once - moving from a lack of consultation, to a false statement that remained unanswered, and even to claims that there would be a split within the Nationalist Parliamentary Group."
"None of this materialised, and the PN Parliamentary Group remains united, defending the national interest and standing up for every Maltese and Gozitan against a Prime Minister who has no qualms about making untrue statements," the PN said.
"The Leader of the PN concluded by saying that, despite having now lost all trust in the Prime Minister's word, he is nonetheless inviting him to return to the table to discuss, under the auspices of the President of Malta, these two appointments of national importance."