Prime Minister Robert Abela lied when he claimed that the Nationalist Party and Venice Commission had proposed introducing an anti-deadlock mechanism for the appointment of the standards commissioner, the PN said on Tuesday.

Nationalist MP Karol Aquilina said that the anti-deadlock proposal that the party had cited in its 2017 electoral manifesto referred to other posts, such as that of the police commissioner, the head of civil service and the Commander of the Armed Forces of Malta. 

The government currently intends on introducing an anti-deadlock mechanism into the Standards for Public Life Act, effectively allowing parliament to appoint a standards commissioner through a simple majority if two votes fail to yield a two-thirds majority. 

While the government is keen to appoint former chief justice Joseph Azzopardi to the post, the PN has said it is against that choice. 

It is also dead-set against the anti-deadlock proposal, with party leader Bernard Grech declaring the idea "undemocratic". 

Speaking in parliament on Monday, Abela said that the government had effectively lifted the proposal from the 2017 PN manifesto. He also added that the Venice Commission, the Council of Europe’s advisory body on constitutional matters, had also proposed this.

An excerpt from the PN's 2017 manifesto in which the party called for an anti-deadlock mechanism when appointing "the highest offices of state".

The proposal that Abela was citing from the 2017 PN manifesto reads: 

"We will appoint a constitutional convention to start a process of constitutional change to strengthen and make state institutions and organs more independent.

"This includes introducing a rule that would require a two-thirds parliamentary majority to appoint the highest offices of the state. To avoid the office being left vacant if a two-thirds majority in parliament is not reached twice, the third vote would require a simple majority for the appointment to take place.”

Aquilina said that the prime minister's parliamentary speech on Monday was entirely misleading. 

“Abela continuously lied that the PN proposed this [to appoint a Standards Commissioner] and he lied to justify what he is proposing to have full control of the Standard’s Commissioner," he added.

He noted that the Standards of Public Life Act was passed by parliament just months before the PN had published its 2017 manifesto, with the two-thirds majority rule agreed upon by both sides of the house. 

Venice Commission's anti-deadlock proposals

PN MP Mark Anthony Sammut said Abela also lied when he said that the Venice Commission had proposed an anti-deadlock mechanism. 

The commission, he said, had proposed an anti-deadlock mechanism of sorts when appointing a chief justice, though it had suggested having the "Supreme Court" make the decision when a two-thirds majority could not be reached. 

Comments made by the Venice Commission about appointing a chief justice.

Sammut was citing a 2020 opinion provided to Malta by the Commission. In that opinion, the Commission also noted that an anti-deadlock mechanism to elect a president "is indeed necessary" and noted that the government's proposal of having three votes, seven days apart and with a simple majority at the end was "an improvement". 

Venice Commission comments in 2020 about appointing a president.

PN has a huge credibility problem- PL

In a response to the Opposition's press conference, the Labour Party said the Opposition has a huge credibility problem.

"It says one thing and does another. You don't know where you stand with the party," the statement said.

It quoted the PN's manifesto statement and said the party is being capricious in opposing plans to introduce an anti-deadlock mechanism for the appointment of a standards commissioner.