Robert Abela and Bernard Grech met this week to discuss who will be Malta’s next President, sources close to the talks said. 

The two party leaders must agree on a name to succeed George Vella, as new constitutional rules adopted in 2020 mean the appointment of the president requires a two-thirds vote in parliament. 

Vella's five-year term ends on April 1 and cannot be renewed. The government can, however, nominate an acting president until agreement is reached on a successor.

Prior to the constitutional changes, presidents were elected by a simple majority of MPs after being proposed by the government. That effectively meant that the ruling party could nominate someone without needing to consult with the other side of the House.  

Prime Minister Abela has said he is convinced the government and Opposition can find a nominee they agree upon. But Abela tempered that by also noting that the "sovereignty of the majority" also had to be taken into account.

On the doorstep of parliament last month, Opposition leader Grech said he hoped that talks would lead to a choice that unites the country. 

The President of Malta is a largely ceremonial role. But a president's signature is the final step in the legislative process, and no law can come into force without it. 

While a president has never blocked a law by refusing to sign it, the country is believed to have come close to such a crisis situation during Vella's tenure. 

The current president reportedly told his inner circle that he was prepared to resign if an abortion law that would have allowed the termination of a pregnancy when a woman’s health is at risk was passed through parliament. 

The government paused that bill for several months and subsequently amended it to allow termination only when the woman’s life is at risk. 

Vella signed the bill in July.