Malta’s parliament has changed dramatically since the last general election as MPs decided to step down, resigned in disgrace, or got kicked upstairs. Ivan Martin tracks through the changes in the house over the last five years.

When an MP resigns, they are normally replaced by the runner-up candidate who obtained the next most votes in the last election.

This democratic process is referred to as a casual election and sees the public’s next preference selected to represent them in the country’s highest democratic institution.

However, if all the eligible candidates declare they are not interested in taking up the seat, the government can then handpick a new MP of its choosing.

This process, known as co-option, is far less democratic as it fills a representational seat with someone who was never voted for.

Joseph Muscat and Etienne Grech

Former prime minister Joseph Muscat is the headline name on the list of MPs to have been replaced by co-option.

In 2020, Muscat resigned from parliament, 10 months after stepping down as prime minister.

He had left the Auberge de Castille in disgrace, buckling under the pressure of alleged links between his office and the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. 

Muscat resigned from the house in October 2020 along with backbench MP Etienne Grech.

Following weeks of speculation, the two were replaced by Clyde Caruana and then-MEP Miriam Dalli in what can be considered the two highest profile co-options during Robert Abela’s tenure.

Caruana, who had headed state employment agency Jobs­Plus, had briefly served as OPM chief of staff when Abela first became prime minister in 2019.

Dalli meanwhile, had been Labour’s star MEP in Brussels. Widely considered a potential leadership contender, upon her co-option in Malta, she was replaced in the European Parliament by runner-up Cyrus Engerer.

A month after their co-option, Abela announced a major cabinet reshuffle, handing Caruana the finance portfolio, one of the most senior ministerial posts, and putting Dalli in charge of a new ‘super ministry’ for both energy and enterprise. 

Edward Scicluna

Former finance minister Edward Scicluna resigned his seat in December 2020 after weeks of backroom talks with the Labour leadership.

He was appointed governor of the Central Bank as soon as he stepped down. Scicluna’s departure fired the starting pistol on a race to replace him which had been described as problematic by party insiders at the time. 

In the end it was Malta Tourism Authority chairman Gavin Gulia who won that race. He was the Abela government’s preferred choice.

However, eyebrows were raised when Gulia resigned from the house within minutes of being sworn in. He had said the prime minister had asked him to stay on at the MTA, but the move was described as undemocratic by political observers who believed Gulia only contested the casual election to keep other potential contenders away from parliament.

Gulia was replaced by then disability commissioner Oliver Scicluna.

Silvio Grixti

Just last month doctor Silvio Grixti resigned by Labour’s backbench after news broke that he had been questioned by the police. 

He was probed by the police’s Financial Crimes Investigation Department and released on police bail as part of an investigation into fraudulent medical documents believed to have originated from his practice. 

2017 electoral candidates Edric Micallef, Sebastian Muscat and Mario Calleja were all eligible to take up the seat, however none of them entered the race which was then called off. 

The government soon announced that lawyer Andy Ellul would be co-opted to parliament and represent voters from the third electoral district. 

Manuel Mallia

Former minister Manuel Mallia resigned from parliament last July after he was appointed Malta’s high commissioner to London, a position he had long had his heart set on.

First elected in 2013 after a protracted career as a criminal defence lawyer, Mallia had served in two legislatures, initially as home affairs minister and later as minister for competitiveness.

His time in cabinet had not been without blemishes, having been dismissed by the Muscat administration following attempts at an alleged cover-up of a shooting incident involving his then ministerial driver.

Mallia was replaced in parliament by lawyer Jonathan Attard who was co-opted to the house by Robert Abela. Attard had served as a consultant at the Economy Ministry during Chris Cardona’s time as minister there, and previously worked as a reporter for Labour’s media arm One.

Chris Cardona

Former Labour deputy leader Chris Cardona resigned his seat May 2020. The former economy minister had been left out of Robert Abela’s cabinet having previously “self-suspended” himself from ministerial duties.

That had come after businessman Yorgen Fenech was charged with ordering the assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia’s murder.

At the time, a letter handed to police by Fenech with alleged details of the murder plot had named Cardona as a co-conspirator. He has denied any involvement. 

Cardona was replaced in parliament by fifth district runner-up Ian Castaldi Paris, a former Nationalist mayor of Lija who switched over to Labour.

Times of Malta last year exposed how Castaldi Paris owes tax authorities hundreds of thousands of euros.

While he has not resigned from parliament, last month the notary announced he would not be contesting the upcoming election which is due to be held within the next six months.

Helena Dalli

Once Malta’s equality and European affairs minister, Helena Dalli resigned in December 2019 to become Malta’s first female European Commissioner. 

Four candidates vied to fill the third district seat left empty by Dalli. Jean-Claude Micallef won that contest, beating Edric Micallef, Sebastian Muscat and Mario Calleja. 


Jean Pierre Debono, Peter Micallef

The Nationalist Party has also turned to co-options during this tumultuous legislature, albeit to a lesser degree.

Both o its leaders in this legislature were not elected or even voted for by the public. Adrian Delia and Bernard Grech were both co-opted after being elected party leaders, with the party also co-opting Kevin Cutajar into parliament. 

Delia, a lawyer and political newcomer at the time, became a member of parliament in October 2017 after winning the PN’s leadership race. 

Former MP Jean Pierre Debono gave up his seat, enabling a casual election which saw Peter Micallef elected. Micallef however resigned his seat shortly after taking his oath of office, with Delia co-opted in his place. 

 

Marthese Portelli

In February 2020, Marthese Portelli resigned from parliament in a move that surprised many. Elected for the first time in the 2013 general election, she was re-elected in 2017 from two districts – Gozo and the ninth electoral district. During her stint in politics, she was shadow minister for the environment, planning and energy and the PN’s representative on the Planning Authority board.

Soon after her resignation she was unveiled as the new head of the developers’ lobby, raising eyebrows given her previous position on the PA board. In April 2021, she was appointed chief executive of the big business lobby, the Chamber of Commerce.

She was replaced in parliament by businessman Ivan Bartolo on the ninth district. 

Ivan Bartolo

Three years after Delia first became opposition leader an internal coup saw him finally replaced by Bernard Grech. 

Ivan Bartolo was quick to announce that he would be resigning his seat in the house, paving the way for Grech to join the house by co-option.  

David Stellini

David Stellini resigned from parliament in May 2019 announcing that he would be returning to his previous post with the European People’s Party in Brussels, saying he had had enough of Malta’s tribal and partisan politics. 

He had only made his way to parliament filing the 13th district seat vacated by Marthese Portelli. 

He was replaced by co-option by Kevin Cutajar, who had already unsuccessfully contested the election on Gozo.

Simon Busuttil

Busuttil led the Nationalist Party into the 2017 election, but three years later he stepped down from the house after securing a top post in Brussels. 

Busuttil, a former MEP, was appointed secretary general of the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP) in January 2020.  The appointment made him the right-hand man to Manfred Weber, the leader of the group in the European Parliament. 

Busuttil had won the PN leadership election after the party’s defeat to Joseph Muscat in the 2013 general election. He resigned as party leader after Muscat’s second consecutive landslide victory in 2017. 

Busuttil was replaced by David Thake who made it to parliament by the slimmest of margins in a casual election for the 12th district seat.

Thake resigned in January, buckling under pressure from reports that his companies owed hundreds of thousands of euros in tax dues. He will be replaced, via co-option, by Graziella Galea, the PN’s minority leader in the St Paul’s Bay local council.

Frederick Azzopardi

In October 2020, Nationalist MP Frederick Azzopardi died after a period of ill health. He was 71.

The late MP, who had been elected from Gozo, was replaced in a casual election by lawyer Joseph Ellis.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.