Anġlu Farrugia is keen to carry on as parliament’s speaker as a new parliamentary term is set to begin.

Speculation has started to grow about his possible replacements, with Labour MP Michael Farrugia being touted as one potential candidate.

Contacted by Times of Malta about his future, Anġlu Farrugia confirmed that he is interested in continuing in the role.

Farrugia, the country’s first full-time speaker, pointed towards reforms giving greater autonomy to parliament during his nine-year tenure.

The choice of whom to nominate as speaker for the next legislature falls on Prime Minister Robert Abela’s shoulders.

Farrugia was appointed to the position in 2013, months after his dramatic resignation as Labour’s deputy leader prior to the March 2013 election.

He has recently been in the spotlight over his role chairing parliament’s standards committee, which is tasked with disciplining MPs who fall foul of ethics rules.

Prior to the standards commissioner’s office being set up, Farrugia had long lamented how he was powerless to take any action to investigate the mandatory financial declarations filed by all MPs.

Opposition leader Bernard Grech last year accused Farrugia of using his rulings and casting vote on the committee to “hinder or render useless” the standard commissioner’s and the committees’ work. 

The speaker for parliament’s next legislature is set to be formally elected during a parliamentary sitting which is scheduled for May 7, following an almost three-month hiatus.

Parliament wrapped up its 13th legislature and was formally dissolved on February 20.

Apart from electing both the speaker and the deputy speaker, the first, and mostly administrative, parliamentary sitting will also include the swearing-in of all the members elected to parliament.