The Labour Party will hold elections for a new deputy leader and its administration in mid-September, the prime minister said on Monday.

The party will appoint a new administrative and at least one new deputy leader, after Daniel Micallef stepped down last month. Micallef was the deputy leader for party affairs. 

There is still uncertainty over the other deputy leader, Chris Fearne, who is responsible for parliamentary affairs.

Fearne resigned as deputy prime minister last month after criminal charges were filed against him in connection with the Vitals hospitals case, but he kept his place as party deputy leader. He is awaiting a court decision on whether the case will proceed to trial. That decision is expected on July 24.

Prime Minister Robert Abela has said he plans to nominate Fearne as European Commissioner should his name be cleared by then. Should that nomination go through, another election for deputy leader will also be held by the PL in September.

"Tonight I will be convening the party administrative to set dates for those elections so that we can continue with our work. We're going full steam ahead to bring change to the country," Abela said.

Daniel Micallef stepped down less than 24 hours after the results of the June 8 elections for the European Parliament and local councils showed that support for Labour had plummeted dramatically.

He said he had decided to step down many months previously, for personal reasons, and he did not want to shy away from responsibility over the result.

'Delegates expressed their views'

Abela said September's elections would follow a series of meetings with party delegates that kicked off after the June 8 elections.

The 'assemblies' - as the party calls them - bring together party members after every election, to offer their views on the result and suggest how they believe the party could improve.

Abela said this time round he extended the process as he felt he should offer a wider space where delegates could freely express themselves.

'They expect a better version of us'

There was "strong participation" and the process went well in both Malta and Gozo, he said.

"Like other voters they want the PL to govern and they believe this party still holds the best solutions for the country, but they also expect a better version of us," he said. 

"We emerge from every assembly determined to work harder and better for the country."

Abela would not say whether he is considering a cabinet reshuffle following June's electoral result.

"The elections in the PL are the priority right now, along with the role of European Commissioner on which, as I have already said, I will decide after July 24," he said.

"Most importantly we must continue to work together as a united cabinet, and I am very satisfied with the ministers' work," he said.