Malta’s President George Vella has reached out to PN MP Chris Said over the constitutional crisis erupting in the Nationalist Party after PN Leader Adrian Delia lost a confidence vote among the parliamentary group but vowed to stay on.

Well-informed sources have told Lovin Malta that Vella has spoken to Said, but the President was told to contact the MPs who took part in the confidence vote.

His decision not to speak to each individual MP over the leadership issue is puzzling, given he had done the same with the Labour Party parliamentary group during the political crisis last December.

Vella could also be failing to fulfil his constitutional duties, several experts including constitutional lawyer and former PN MP Franco Debono has warned.

Malta’s constitution states that if in the President’s judgement the Leader of the Opposition has lost the faith of the parliamentary group, he is obliged to remove the person from their role.  The constitution, Debono said, supersedes any party statute. This also reiterated by legal expert Profs Kevin Aquilina.

Vella seemingly agrees. Five months ago, he told Malta Today that he would only act if Delia lost the majority support of MPs.

“As soon as I have concrete proof that there isn’t the support of the majority, this would mean they no longer have faith in the Opposition leader. In that case, his position won’t be tenable,” Vella said in February 2020.

With at least 17 MPs voting against Delia in the secret confidence vote, it is clear he has lost the majority.

Just five months ago, Vella revealed he would be obliged to take action if Delia lost the majority support of the parliamentary group. With 19 out of 30 MPs voting against, it’s clear Delia does not have the backing of his MPs.

“As soon as I have concrete proof that there isn’t the support of the majority, this would mean they no longer have faith in the Opposition leader. In that case, his position won’t be tenable,” Vella said in February 2020.

Delia lost the confidence vote just passed midnight earlier today. Nineteen members of the parliamentary group (two MEPs) voted against him, with just 10 (11 if Delia is included) backing the leader.

He has vowed to stay on aa PN and Opposition Leader until the end of the legislature, insisting that the PN’s paid-up members had elected him to the role of leader. Should Delia stay on, the PN could end up in the anomalous situation of having a separate Party Leader and an Opposition Leader.

Delia has been facing renewed pressure ever since he became subject to a magisterial inquiry over an alleged bribe from Daphne Caruana Galizia murder suspect Yorgen Fenech to prevent MEP David Casa’s re-election.

The Times of Malta published WhatsApp conversations between Delia and Fenech, before his arrest but after the reveal that he owned 17 Black, the Dubai based company linked to the offshore Panama accounts of Keith Schembri and Konrad Mizzi and the controversial Enemalta purchase of a Montenegrin windfarm.

Delia has denied all wrongdoing.

Lovin Malta has reached out to the President to get his comments on the current issue.

Photo source: DOI – Jason Borg

Why do you think the President is hesitant to intervene? Comment below