Labour MP Randolph DeBattista resigned from parliament on Monday, as he had been expected to do following his nomination to serve as Malta's permanent representative to the United Nations and other international institutions in Geneva.

In a letter to Speaker Anġlu Farrugia, DeBattista said it had been an honour to serve in the House and to be a voice for the less privileged and the vulnerable while also promoting human rights in institutions such as the parliamentary assembly of the Council of Europe.

He now looked forward to his new role, where he would promote peace, dialogue and multilateralism. 

DeBattista resigned from his second stint as CEO of the Labour Party in August, without giving reasons. However he had reportedly had a frosty relationship with Prime Minister Robert Abela in previous months. In July, Abela had admitted to having a "difference of opinion" with his then-CEO. 

DeBattista also held the position of CEO between 2017 and 2020, when he was dismissed soon after Abela became party leader. But peace was restored in 2022 and Abela co-opted DeBattista to parliament and appointed him CEO once more. 

Abela announced at the end of August that DeBattista had accepted to take on the role of ambassador in Geneva.

DeBattista's replacement will be appointed by co-option, with various names having already been informally mentioned in political circles including Nigel Vella and Yana Borg Debono Grech. 

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.