Helena Dalli appointed as acting president, despite PN objection

Last updated at 4.10pm with government statement

Former European Commissioner Helena Dalli has been appointed acting president, despite objection from the Opposition.

The government announced the appointment on Wednesday, hours after it was revealed by Times of Malta.

Dalli had earlier confirmed she was willing to assume the role when contacted by Times of Malta on Wednesday.

"I always did and will continue to do what was needed for the country," she said.

In a statement the government said Prime Minister Robert Abela had appointed Dalli according to law and "in consultation with the Leader of the Opposition".

Outgoing PN leader Bernard Grech, however, said he was not consulted but was instead informed of the decision by letter. 

Helena Dalli was the first Maltese woman to be appointed EU Commissioner in 2019. Photo: DOI

His party expressed its disappointment, insisting that anyone who formed part of Joseph Muscat's Cabinet should not hold such a position in view of the findings of the Daphne Caruana Gaizia inquiry. 

Dalli is expected to take on a role that has been vacant since the former acting president Francis Zammit Dimech, died on April 21.

Parliamentary Speaker Anġlu Farrugia has temporarily served as acting president in the interim. 

The acting president assumes all the president’s duties whenever the head of state is abroad or unable to perform her duties.

Dalli is a former Labour minister and MP who served a term as European Commissioner. She was touted as a potential president in 2024 but her candidacy effectively ran into a dead end when the Opposition made it clear that it would block her nomination, because she had served within Joseph Muscat's cabinet.

Parliament eventually appointed Myriam Spiteri Debono as head of state. 

Malta’s president must be nominated by two-thirds of Malta’s MPs. Acting presidents, on the other hand, can be nominated unilaterally by the government.  

Dalli had made it clear she was disappointed with the way things panned out in 2024, saying on national TV that the PN's stance was "unfair".

Unlike the president, the acting president does not need a two-thirds parliamentary majority to be appointed, has no fixed term and takes the oath of office each time the president is abroad or in hospital. Duties include everything from attending official ceremonies to signing laws.

Dalli first became an MP in 1996, when Alfred Sant was prime minister. She was immediately appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Women’s Rights.

Later, Joseph Muscat appointed her a minister upon his election in 2013, initially responsible for social dialogue, consumer affairs and civil liberties and then for European affairs and equality.

She was the first Maltese woman to be appointed EU Commissioner in 2019. In 2023, she was appointed to the National Order of Merit by then-president George Vella.

'I was not consulted': Bernard Grech

In a statement on Facebook, outgoing PN leader Bernard Grech said he received a letter from the prime minister an hour after Times of Malta reported the news. 

He said the letter was "not to consult me. Simply to inform me. And the information had already reached me, just like everyone else, through the media."

"Robert Abela was indebted to Helena Dalli," Grech said. "And he did what he always does. He used the country to repay his debt. He did this behind everyone’s back, in the middle of summer. At no point did he consult me or the Opposition."

In a statement, the Nationalist Party said it was unacceptable that anyone who had formed part of the Muscat Cabinet should hold such a post since the Daphne Inquiry had found the then government responsible for the climate of impunity that led to journalist's assassination.

The PN also pointed out that at the time of President Spiteri Debono’s appointment, it was also agreed that the role of acting president would be held by a nominee of the Opposition – and it was on that basis that Francis Zammit Dimech was appointed.

"The presidency should unite the country, not divide it. Therefore, just as there was agreement on the appointment of the president, there should also be consensus on the appointment of the acting president by honouring the agreement between the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition, while at the same time identifying a person who can bring the country together," the PN said. 

In a statement, the Labour party welcomed the appointment, saying Dalli was "suitable" for the role.

"It is unfortunate that even on the appointment of a person who has done nothing but good for our country, the PN knows no other way but to be destructive," it said. 

"The Nationalist Party has never forgiven Helena Dalli for being a pioneer in the introduction of civil rights in our country."