President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca celebrated the first year since her appointment today by thanking the people for their support and by calling for progress in Constitutional reform and a rethinking of the role of the presidency.

Ms Coleiro-Preca marked her anniversary by placing flowers at the foot of the monument to the first President, Sir Anthony Mamo, in Birkirkara.

In comments to the media the President regretted that no progress had been made in constitutional reform, saying the reform was needed to update the constitution as befitting a modern country.

Areas for reform, she said, included the role, composition and functions of the Commission for the Administration of Justice.  

The role of the presidency also needed to be modernised, she said. Should the president only have a ceremonial and rubber-stamp role?

Nonetheless, she said, she appreciated the broad base which the Office had given her to be of service to the people.

Over the past year, she said, she had had 2,441 engagements - an average of 6.7 a day.

Attention was currently focused on the setting up of the President's Trust, which would aim at helping young people in need to become employable and enjoy dignity. The trust will work closely with the Prince's Trust of the UK.

The Community Chest Fund was also being modernised and transformed into a foundation, with greater accountability and better governance. The aim was to make this a proactive body and not just a reactive one, helping those who fell ill. 

Ms Coleiro Preca also pointed out how the President's Foundation, which she had set up, was working on various projects which affected society, including research on the relationship between teachers and pupils in Malta.