PN nominates Bernard Grech as deputy speaker, backs Carmelo Abela
Parliament will vote on a new speaker and deputy speaker on Saturday
Updated 2.50pm with Bernard Grech reaction
The Nationalist Party is nominating its former leader Bernard Grech as parliament’s new deputy speaker when parliament reconvenes on Saturday, Times of Malta is informed.
The party intends to back the government’s choice of Carmelo Abela as speaker.
The government announced Abela’s nomination earlier this week, with the former minister set to resign his parliamentary seat to take up the role.
Abela will succeed Anġlu Farrugia, who served in the role since Labour first rose to power in 2013.
Meanwhile, Grech would be succeeding former MP David Agius, who served as deputy speaker since 2022.
Grech served as party leader between 2020 and June 2025, when he unexpectedly stepped down. He has since served as an opposition MP and was comfortably re-elected by constituents on the 11th district in last month’s election.
The deputy speaker role, typically occupied by an opposition MP, has also been carried out by Claudette Buttigieg and Ċensu Galea in recent years.
A deputy speaker is expected to preside over parliament whenever the speaker is absent.
Unlike the speaker, the deputy speaker is not expected to give up his parliamentary seat when taking on the role.
The PN’s parliamentary group has also settled on the names of Toni Bezzina and Annabelle Cilia as the party’s deputy whips.
Earlier this week, PN had announced that Ivan Castillo would be party whip throughout this legislature.
On Friday afternoon, Grech said he was "grateful for the trust shown in him by Alex Borg" through the nomination.
He said that, if confirmed in the role, he would "continue to work for a stronger and more effective parliamentary democracy".