The Labour and Nationalist parliamentary groups will meet separately on Tuesday afternoon to formally agree on the nomination of the next President of Malta.
Sources linked to both political parties said they expected no surprises. Times of Malta revealed last week that the prime minister and the leader of the Opposition had agreed to nominate Myriam Spiteri Debono to the Office.
A notary by profession, Spiteri Debono was Speaker of the House of Representatives during the short term of Alfred Sant's government between 1996 and 1998.
She was previously president of the women's section of the Labour Party and is widely viewed as a moderate with socialist beliefs. In 2021 she paid tribute to murdered journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia in a speech given during Victory Day celebrations, calling on the nation to “redeem ourselves anew” and commit to necessary reform in the wake of the assassination.
The two political parties are understood have also agreed on Francis Zammit Dimech as acting president.
Zammit Dimech is a former PN MP, minister and MEP who spent three decades in prominent political roles. Considered a moderate, he is a lawyer by profession and lectures at the University of Malta.
The acting president steps into the role when the president is abroad or indisposed. However, that post is not tied to a parliamentary vote.
Prime Minister Robert Abela proposed Spiteri Debono's nomination to Bernard Grech and the Opposition leader indicated he had no objection. The PN had previously nominated her to serve as Standards Commissioner but she was not interested in the position.
Following constitutional amendments a few months ago, the President can only be appointed by a majority of at least two-thirds of the members of the House of Representatives. All 10 presidential appointments to date had only needed a simple majority.
The role of the president, as head of state, is largely ceremonial, but the president needs to sign acts of parliament before they can become law. In terms of the recent constitutional amendments, it is also the president who selects and appoints the members of the judiciary after a shortlist is handed to the Office by a selection committee.
It is also the president who appoints the prime minister, choosing a person who 'in his (sic) judgement' is best able to command a majority' in the House of Representatives. The president may also remove the prime minister if he no longer enjoys that majority support in the House, although in such circumstances the head of state would usually await a vote of confidence.
The president serves for five years and the term cannot be renewed. The nomination motion is expected to be moved in parliament on Wednesday. The swearing-in will take place on April 4.