Civil society group Repubblika has written to President George Vella asking him to intervene in a row over the reform of Malta's constitution.

The group asked Vella to step in to make sure a proposed change to how judges are appointed is published by the government. 

Earlier this month the government announced that it had come to an agreement with the opposition on the reform of judicial appointments. But the draft proposal has not been made public. 

In a letter, Repubblika asked Vella to make sure the draft reform is published and consulted on before it is sent to the Venice Commission, an advisory body of the Council of Europe. 

Repubblika said that the president had promised that he would not allow political parties to exclude others from deliberations which could lead to constitutional reform. 

However, it said the government was ignoring the group's request for a copy of the proposed reforms on judicial appointments before this was sent to to the Venice Commission for approval. 

The group has also complained to the Venice Commission.

They noted that, on April 1, parliament had unanimously approved a resolution saying that the government and the opposition had agreed on the reform. But no one knew what the reform entailed.

The group said that when it met Justice Minister Edward Zammit Lewis to discuss the matter, he said they would have the opportunity to see the draft once it was approved by the Venice Commission. But the group argues that there would be a fait accompli and it would be too late for them to make a substantive contribution.

Repubblika said the government's behaviour was unacceptable and showed that it was ignoring civil society. 

The Venice Commission made several recommendations to Malta late in 2018 on the rule of law and independence of the judiciary.

Repubblika’s letter to the President can be read in the pdf link below.