Comodini Cachia proposed as Opposition leader, Delia meets President

Nationalist Party leader Adrian Delia met President George Vella at San Anton Palace after a majority of members from his parliamentary group proposed Therese Comodini Cachia as Opposition leader.

The meeting lasted for almost an hour and Delia gave no comment as he exited the Palace. It remains unclear whether he has been stripped of his role as Opposition leader.

The President is expected to hold a marathon of meetings with Opposition MPs in what is an unprecedented situation after Delia lost a vote of confidence in his parliamentary group but has vowed to stay on as party leader.

Beppe Fenech Adami and Ivan Bartolo were seen entering the Palace at 6:46pm.

Earlier, Chris Said and Claudette Buttigieg informed the President that a majority of Opposition MPs are willing to support Therese Comodini Cachia as new Opposition leader.

The meeting lasted just under an hour and the MPs gave no comment after the talks.

READ ALSO: PN executive member calls for disciplinary action against MPs who disavowed Delia

The PN parliamentary group last Tuesday approved a vote of no confidence in Adrian Delia.

Sources close to the majority group told MaltaToday that Claudio Grech turned down an initial offer to step in.

The no confidence motion was proposed by Said and seconded by Comodini Cachia.

On the basis of the no confidence vote, President George Vella is empowered by the Constitution to revoke Delia's appointment as Opposition leader. The President will then have to appoint another MP, who enjoys the support of the largest grouping of MPs, although legal opinion on the matter is mixed.

While some constitutional experts argue that the President should immediately appoint Comodini Cachia, others insist that for this to happen, the MPs supporting her have to first formally distance themselves from the PN, given that the Constitution identifes the leader of the largest party in Opposition as Opposition leader.

Who is Comodini Cachia?

Comodini Cachia, 47, is a human rights lawyer. She was elected MEP in 2014 and contested her first general election with success in 2017. She was elected on the Eighth District, obtaining 1,523 votes on the first count.

However, she stoked controversy when she initially refused her parliamentary seat in Malta to retain her Brussels seat but reversed the decision after public outcry.

She is part of the legal team representing the family of Daphne Caruana Galizia in court proceedings.