Robert Abela’s first job as prime minister will be to appoint his new cabinet of ministers, and the political rumour mill is already turning.

The new governmentMPs are anxiously waiting to find out whether they will be given ministerial posts in cabinet after Labour’s landslide victory over the weekend.

Abela is expected to call on MPs between Tuesday and Wednesday to form his new cabinet.

He had announced his first cabinet when he took over from Joseph Muscat in January 2020, halfway through the last legislature.

That cabinet was the largest in history, with 26 MPs: 17 ministers and eight parliamentary secretaries.

At the time, Abela left out a few key names – Konrad Mizzi and Chris Cardona – but had also been criticised for bloating the list of ministers for fear of ruffling too many feathers. 

This time round he faces a different scenario entirely.

Having secured a resounding mandate in Saturday's election, Abela now has a greater sense of legitimacy among the group of politicians he leads and is freer to make certain moves.

He will no doubt be keen to work with a group of people who are loyal to him.  

Evarist Bartolo was one of the frontbench casualties of the general election.

The first question is over who Abela will choose to replace two seasoned ministers that were not re-elected, Evarist Bartolo, who had the Foreign Affairs portfolio and José Herrera, former Culture Minister. 

Political sources mentioned Chris Fearne as a potential replacement for Bartolo, but those close to him deny it.

Fearne is more likely expected to succeed Helena Dalli as EU commissioner when her term comes to an end later during the legislature.

Fearne, a surgeon, led the government’s efforts against the COVID-19 pandemic and served as deputy prime minister after he was beaten to the PL leadership by Abela. 

Political sources say Ian Borg could be moved away from his previous post. As transport minister, Borg was responsible for the 2017 Muscat administration’s headline electoral pledge to spend €700 million redoing all the island’s roads.

When Abela took over from Muscat, Borg retained the portfolio but had it trimmed, losing out on planning which was moved to the environment portfolio.  

Another question Abela will have to deal with is whether to reward strong performers in the election. 

One name that comes to mind is Owen Bonnici who was elected with a noticeable showing in both the third and the fifth districts. 

Bonnici, who had once served as justice minister, was handed what insiders described as a non-ministry when Abela first took over at Castille.

He was made minister for research, innovation and the co-ordination of the country’s post COVID-19 strategy. 

Newcomer Keith Tanti Azzopardi also did very well at the polls, outperforming two ministers and a parliamentary secretary to be elected first on District 1. 

And political sources also wonder if Abela’s sister-in-law, first-timer Alison Zerafa Civelli, will be appointed straight to the cabinet, with one source saying she could move into Herrera’s vacant culture ministry.

Insiders believe Abela could relegate those who held ministries but did not perform too well at the polls this time.

However, some portfolios seem all but certain to remain unchanged.

Gozo is expected to be handed back to Clint Camilleri who was elected with a strong first count showing on Saturday. 

If Glenn Bedingfield fails to be elected, the prime minister will need a new parliamentary group whip. 

It is still not clear whether Abela will appoint a new speaker to replace Anġlu Farrugia who has held the post for two terms. 

This legislature Abela will also need to appoint a new president.

However, thanks to reforms he himself pushed through, Abela will need two-thirds parliamentary support, so his options are somewhat limited.