Agius Saliba Faces Metsola Choice: Stick To His Word Or Follow Robert Abela
As Roberta Metsola gets ready for a vote tomorrow that could see her re-elected European Parliament President, one of her Maltese colleagues is facing a critical choice.
PL MEP Alex Agius Saliba had come out strongly against Metsola during the election campaign and pledged to vote against her if she is nominated for a second term in charge of the European Parliament.
Interviewed by Reno Bugeja in May, Agius Saliba said that while he had voted in favour of Metsola two and a half years ago as a sign of support for a Maltese national, he completely disagreed with the way she run the Parliament.
He mentioned a number of points – such as Metsola’s visit to Israel after the 7th October attack, which he described as giving “unconditional support for Israel to commit genocide in Gaza”.
He also criticised her for renewing a derogation that allows for a limited transition of EP meetings and documents into Maltese and for signing a Parliament declaration that abortion is a fundamental human right.
“Metsola is tried and tested now and she tried to touch on a number of fundamental points relating to the principles of neutrality, the right of life, and the Maltese language,” he said.
“When we see someone tampering with the national interest, the story changes, and we will criticise those people strongly. As Robert Abela and Joseph Muscat both said, we don’t apply the politics of spite or judge people on their political colours. We judge them on their track record.”
Asked by Bugeja whether he would support a second term for Metsola, Agius Saliba clearly said that he would not.
“This time, my decision wont be based on Metsola as a Maltese person, but on Metsola as the European Parliament President for the past two and a half years,” he said.
“If she is nominated for another vote, both in our group and in the EP, this time I will vote against her with conviction, not because she’s a Nationalist but because she went against my and my country’s fundamental principles.”
Agius Saliba reiterated his stance later on when answering to a follower on social media.
Since then, Metsola was re-elected as a Maltese MEP with 87,473 first-count votes, a record for a Maltese candidate.
However, Prime Minister Robert Abela – who also heavily criticised Metsola on the campaign trail – has adopted a very different position and has pledged to support her second term.
“I was always clear that I will support Maltese people who occupy posts overseas and I will let the national interest guide me this time too. It would be inconsistent of me to say we should reason according to partisan lines and sideline the national interest.”
Lovin Malta has asked Agius Saliba how he intends to vote tomorrow but has yet to receive a response.
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