Prime Minister Robert Abela is seeking a heavyweight candidate to take up Joseph Muscat’s seat in parliament, with MEP Miriam Dalli among the names being mooted.

Government sources told Times of Malta that Abela wants to capitalise on Joseph Muscat’s departure from the House, in a bid to strengthen Labour’s parliamentary group. 

While he is said to be keen to see Miriam Dalli form part of his parliamentary group, it is unclear whether the MEP will be tempted back to the island from Brussels.

Abela is also understood to be considering other options.

Muscat, who stepped down as prime minister back in January over links between his office and the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, resigned his parliamentary seat on Monday.

Although his place as MP would normally be taken up by a candidate who had contested but failed to get elected on the same district as Muscat, Times of Malta is informed Abela is considering a different route. 

“Rather than a casual election of one of the two failed candidates [former parliamentary secretary Stefan Buontempo and Mark Causon], the prime minister is keen on going for co-option, which could see a different person with proven credentials replace Joseph Muscat,” a senior government source said. 

For this mechanism to be used, however, both Buontempo and Causon would have to agree to forfeit their right to contest the seat.

The government insiders said the move to co-opt a replacement for Muscat “makes strategic sense”.

“We have lost some popular people over the past few months. The parliamentary group is not looking as strong as it used to, so this could be a unique opportunity,” the source said.

Miriam Dalli is among the names being mooted to take up Joseph Muscat’s seat in parliament.

Dalli, who had been touted as a possible successor to the Muscat throne but who decided not to contest the leadership race, is understood to have discussed the matter with Abela in recent days.

However, no decision has yet been taken by the MEP, according to people close to her. 

Also, Labour Party sources said other options were currently being explored.

The MEP, who leads Labour’s group in Brussels was the most successful candidate in the 2019 European Parliament election, garnering 63,000 votes – more than double the tally for former prime minister Alfred Sant, and some 20,000 more than her political rival Roberta Metsola.  

Dalli was described by Muscat during that race as “Malta’s best MEP”.  

She had been supportive of Muscat during the tumultuous weeks of protests that eventually led to his resignation, adding her voice to the chorus of Labour personalities calling for him to stay on.  

The sources said if Dalli did accept to make the move from Brussels, then a Cabinet reshuffle could possibly be on the cards.  

“If Miriam Dalli does come back to Malta she will most likely want to form part of the Cabinet. Which means we could have a reshuffle of ministers coming up,” they said.