Watch: Zrinzo Azzopardi won't say whether election exit is tied to PM feud
‘I appreciate the confidence the prime minister has placed in me’
European Funds Minister Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi dodged questions about whether his decision not to contest the upcoming election was linked to his rocky relationship with the prime minister.
When asked by Times of Malta on Tuesday, the minister reiterated his plans to spend more time with his family and return to his profession as a lawyer, after he carries out his ministerial duties until the end of his term.
“I appreciate the confidence the prime minister has placed in my role as European funds minister, and I remain committed to carrying out my duties until the end of my term,” he said, after being asked again.
The minister announced on November 14 that he will not contest the next election, adding that he still plans on offering services to the Labour Party.
Zrinzo Azzopardi announced this decision after he had his ministerial portfolios changed twice in a short space of time. First, he went from planning minister to lands minister, and then in May he was made European funds minister, the role he currently occupies.
Times of Malta had reported that the most recent cabinet reshuffle was triggered as Zrinzo Azzopardi wanted out of the Lands Ministry after the authority he oversaw reinstated Kurt Buhagiar without his approval. Buhagiar stands accused of the involuntary homicide of Jean Paul Sofia.
During his tenure as lands minister, Times of Malta also reported that he was reluctant to sign a new concession deal with db Group that could see over €4 million in ground rent deferred to the end of the company’s 99-year concession at St George’s Bay real estate.
Following those two instances, the relationship between Prime Minister Robert Abela and Zrinzo Azzopardi soured.
Zrinzo Azzopardi was first elected to parliament in 2017. In January 2020, freshly appointed Abela made the Naxxar lawyer parliamentary secretary for EU funds.
After his successful re-election to parliament in March 2022, Zrinzo Azzopardi was made public works and planning minister before eventually moving to lands and then EU funds.