Myriam Spiteri Debono to be next president after Labour and Nationalist MPs signal agreement

MPs from both sides of the House signalled their intention to support Myriam Spiteri Debono’s nomination for president in meetings of the respective parliamentary groups on Tuesday.

Labour MPs meeting at party headquarters in Hamrun were informed by Prime Minister Robert Abela of Spiteri Debono’s nomination and gave the green light to the former Speaker.

Down the road in Pieta, PN MPs meeting at the Stamperija also signalled their support for Spiteri Debono’s nomination in a short uneventful meeting.

In a joint statement, the Office of the Prime Minister and the Office of the Opposition Leader said the vote in parliament on Spiteri Debono’s nomination will take place on Wednesday 27 March. This is ostensibly the first time ever that a joint statement between the OPM and the Opposition has been issued.

“Earlier today, in separate meetings, the respective parliamentary groups sealed the agreement reached between the Prime Minister and the Opposition leader,” the statement said.

It added that the two leaders also agreed that whenever an acting president is required to be appointed, the Prime Minister will be tasking former PN minister Francis Zammit Dimech with the role.

Spiteri Debono, 72, will be replacing George Vella whose term ends on 4 April.

She will require a two-thirds majority in parliament, something that is guaranteed following the cross-party agreement.

Spiteri Debono was Speaker of the House between 1996 and 1998 and had also been a candidate for the Labour Party in the past.