Momentum pledges constitutional reform and reduced executive powers

Momentum has proposed a constitutional reform aimed at reducing executive power, strengthening parliamentary oversight, and creating a new republic.

The party said that Malta’s Constitution no longer reflects the needs of a modern democracy and concentrates excessive authority in the hands of the prime minister.

Momentum’s proposals include the creation of a constitutional convention composed of legal experts, civil society representatives, social partners and political actors selected through what it described as a transparent process. The draft reforms would then be discussed through citizen assemblies before undergoing parliamentary scrutiny and being put to a binding national referendum.

The party said the process is intended to give citizens a meaningful role in shaping the country’s constitutional future, arguing that both the PL and the PN have preserved a system that benefits themselves.

A second proposal would transfer several powers currently exercised by the prime minister to parliament, including decisions on election dates, publication of magisterial inquiries and senior appointments. Momentum argued that such powers should be subject to parliamentary debate and scrutiny rather than concentrated in a single office.

The party also pledged to widen the legal definition of “juridical interest” to make it easier for citizens and NGOs to challenge government decisions in court. 

Arnold Cassola said the two major parties had failed for decades to give citizens a meaningful voice in constitutional reform and argued that only broader democratic participation could renew public trust in institutions.

The party framed the proposals as part of a broader push for what it describes as a more accountable and participatory republic.