President: No power to remove prime minister who enjoys parliamentary confidence

The President of the Republic does not have any legal, constitutional, or executive powers to remove the Prime Minister from office as long as he still enjoys the support of the majority of Members of Parliament, the office of the President said.

In a statement on Friday, the OPR replied to Opposition leader Adrian Delia’s call on Thursday when he asked the President to invoke the Constitution and remove Prime Minister Joseph Muscat immediately.

“I request that Article 85 of the Constitution, which also makes reference to Articles 80 and 81(1), be invoked and put into effect,” Delia said.

Delia said that for Muscat to be removed, it wasn’t only Vella’s action which was needed, but also that of the Deputy Prime Minister and government MPs, whom he urged to “shoulder responsibility immediately.”

The OPR said that the President to date has acted in line with the parameters of the powers given to him by the constitution, on both a legal and moral basis.