A decision by the constitutional court against the state broadcaster and the Broadcasting Authority on Thursday confirmed how Malta's democracy is under threat, Opposition leader Bernard Grech said. 

Addressing a press conference soon after the judgement was handed down, Grech said the court has confirmed that instead of serving the public, the PBS and BA were lending a helping hand to the Labour government. 

"This serves as confirmation that democracy is threatened by a prime minister who has taken hold of power and controls public broadcasting," he said. "It is another example of the failure of the institutions."

Grech said the court's comments echoed what the Nationalist Party had been saying for months, including throughout the election campaign ahead of the March general election. 

Earlier on Thursday, the courts declared that defiance by the state broadcaster to publish a right of reply granted to the PN, and the way the BA dragged its feet when it came to ensuring that the order was obeyed, meant that both entities failed to ensure impartiality and protection against discrimination.

The case was instituted by the PN which claimed its rights were breached by the public broadcaster’s political bias and propaganda.

"The PN’s message is being controlled and manipulated (by PBS and the BA) so as not to reach the public as it should. Now the courts have confirmed this," Grech said. 

He said the judgement not only confirmed what the party has been saying for months but it also echoed concerns by the European Commission. 

In a report on the state of the rule of law in Malta published on Wednesday, the Commission called on the State to strengthen the rules and mechanisms to enhance the independent governance and editorial independence of public service media.

The PN leader said the party expects that moving forward, TVM journalists would be allowed to carry out their job without any interference.