The opposition would block any politician who sat in Joseph Muscat’s 2017 cabinet including European commissioner Helena Dalli from becoming president, Nationalist Party sources said.

MPs agreed at a parliamentary group meeting on Tuesday they would not support the nomination of any individual the Daphne Caruana Galizia public inquiry found shared responsibility for the journalist’s murder.

The idea was proposed by leader Bernard Grech and found unanimous support among his parliamentary group.

This makes it virtually impossible for any minister in Muscat’s cabinets to make it to San Anton Palace this April as, for the first time, the new President will require the support of both the government and the opposition.

The public inquiry had concluded that the State “should shoulder responsibility for the assassination”. It had also singled out the former prime minister, Muscat, for enabling a culture of impunity and found his entire cabinet collectively responsible for their inaction in the lead up to the assassination.

One of Muscat’s former cabinet members was Dalli, who, several government and opposition sources say, was recently being touted for the country’s highest office.

When contacted on Wednesday, she said she had “no comment to make” on “rumours” about her possible nomination.

Dalli, whose term in Brussels ends later this year, was in cabinet throughout Muscat’s tenure and was European affairs and equality minister when Caruana Galizia was murdered in October 2017.

Evarist Bartolo, education minister under Muscat, has previously dismissed speculation that he was being considered for the post.

Robert Abela and Bernard Grech met last week to discuss Malta’s next President but sources said no names were exchanged in that first, introductory meeting. They are expected to meet again “in the coming days”.

‘Cabinet looked the other way’

The public inquiry board had slammed cabinet for failing to protect those at risk and assuring good governance and the rule of law.

“Not only did the government fail to take any action to remedy the situation but cabinet and the parliamentary group gave their support through votes of confidence to those involved,” it said.

Cabinet’s decision to “look the other way” meant ministers were effectively endorsing the decisions by the prime minister to let everything slide and, at the very least, their inaction was a “grave omission” that in a democratic society should have consequences.

Next President needs approval from both sides

Following changes to the constitution in 2020, Malta’s next President will have to be appointed by a majority of at least two-thirds of the members of the House of Representatives.

All previous presidents only needed a simple majority after being proposed by the government. This will be the first time that both sides of the House must agree on a name.

President George Vella’s five-year term ends on April 1 and cannot be renewed. The government, can, however, nominate an acting president until agreement is reached on a successor.

Abela told reporters last week he was convinced he could reach a sensible agreement with the opposition if they put their heads together but stopped short of saying that, in case of an impasse, the government should enjoy the upper hand.

“Indeed, the two-thirds majority rule is now entrenched [in the constitution] but the constitutional reform must respect the equally important principle of democracy meaning the sovereignty of the majority of the people must be respected as well,” he said. The PN immediately hit back, insisting the president should only be appointed following an agreement from both sides. Neither side can dictate what will happen, arbitrarily, before discussions even kick off, the party said.

“The president should be a person who unites the Maltese and Gozitans, irrespective of where they come from,” it said.

The president of Malta is a largely ceremonial role. But a president’s signature is the final step in the legislative process and no law can come into force without it.

While a president has never blocked a law by refusing to sign it, the country is believed to have come close to such a crisis during Vella’s tenure, when he told his inner circles he was prepared to resign if an abortion law as originally proposed by the government in 2022 was passed through parliament.

Abela has already publicly hinted he is looking for a “progressive” president and sources believe the abortion issue will be one of the most likely bones of contention in talks between him and Grech.

In an interview with Times of Malta in 2022, Abela ruled out the possibility of former prime minister Lawrence Gonzi becoming president.

He said at the time that a president should unite the country and that “a leader of a political party can never unite a nation”.