Labour parliamentary group to discuss Muscat exit strategy

MPs drive up to Girgenti palace for meeting with Prime Minister

Joseph Muscat is facing a growing push within his Cabinet and parliamentary group to step down immediately, making way for an interim leader, MaltaToday is informed.

Muscat is expected to step down but initial indications suggested that he would stay on until January when the Labour Party is hoping to have elected a new leader. However, a large group of disappointed and angry MPs are insisting the party is in no mood to hold a potentially divisive leadership contest over the Christmas period in these circumstances.

These MPs are arguing that Muscat must step down immediately and the President appoint deputy prime minister Chris Fearne as prime minister for an interim period.

Labour’s parliamentary group is meeting today, Sunday, in an emergency session.

The meeting is being held at the prime minister’s summer residence of Girgenti.

Deputy PM Chris Fearne (Photo: James Bianchi/MediaToday)

Chris Cardona, former minister (Photo: James Bianchi/MediaToday)

Justice minister Owen Bonnici (Photo: James Bianchi/MediaToday)

(Photo: James Bianchi/MediaToday)

The group is expected to discuss Muscat’s potential exit, and whether he should leave now or stay on till January, when a new Labour leader will be elected, or whether an interim prime minister should be appointed.

MPs will be discussing on the morrow of a harrowing day where the Tumas magnate and Electrogas shareholder Yorgen Fenech was charged with masterminding the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia.

Since then the PM’s former chief of staff Keith Schembri has resigned, implicated by dint of his knowledge that Fenech was being investigated, and having had a secretive business relationship with him for the past years.