The new Commissioner for Standards will be in place by March 6 with members of parliament in the house business committee agreeing on the voting dates for the appointment on Tuesday.

A bill currently being debated in parliament will see an anti-deadlock mechanism introduced into the Standards for Public Life Act. The proposed amendment will allow the appointment of the standards commissioner through a simple majority if two votes fail to yield a two-thirds majority. 

While the government is keen to appoint former chief justice Joseph Azzopardi to the post, the Nationalist Party has said it is against that choice. 

It is also set against the anti-deadlock proposal, with party leader Bernard Grech declaring the proposal “undemocratic”.

Labour Party whip Andy Ellul told the House Business Committee that parliament will take a vote on the amendments after the second reading on Wednesday.

The first vote on the nomination will be taken on February 20 at 7pm. If no two-thirds majority is achieved, a second vote will be taken on February 27, also at 7pm. If, once again, the proposed nominee does not get a two-thirds majority, a third and final vote will take place on March 6, when a simple majority will suffice.