President shuns calls for intervention: ‘Constitution does not allow me’

President George Vella said the Constitution did not empower him to take any action to solve the political crisis other than what he has done so far.

Vella was reacting to appeals by some people, including Nationalist MEP David Casa, for him to intervene in the political crisis after the prime minister’s former chief of staff Keith Schembri was implicated in the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia by the suspected mastermind.

“In light of calls to the President of the Republic to take measures, which according to some, are allowed by the Constitution, to solve the current political situation, it has to be said that the Constitution does not give the President any such powers, more than those he has exerted until now,” the Office of the President said.

Vella has held meetings with the Prime Minister and the Opposition leader on various occasions. The President can exert moral authority but that is as far as he can go unless the Prime Minister resigns.

“The President cannot work outside the confines of the Constitution because if he does so, he would be breaching the Constitution himself. There is no legal or constitutional basis to uphold these appeals,” the office said.