[WATCH] Government reforms will return Malta to ‘full democracy’ - Robert Abela

The government will endeavour to restore Malta’s status as a “full democracy” after the country was downgraded by a reputable index, Robert Abela said.

The Prime Minister said that institutional changes are a priority of his government, insisting that reforms in the area of the rule of law and the appointment of the judiciary will be carried out.

Abela - who was speaking to the press following visits he paid to shops in Valletta on Wednesday - was reacting to the relegation of Malta to a “flawed democracy” by the Economist Intelligence Unit, making it one of five countries in Western Europe to be classified as such.

READ ALSO | Malta relegated to ‘flawed democracy’ by Economist Intelligence Unit

The slippage is linked to the political crisis surrounding the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia, that forced the prime minister to step down this month, the Economist Intelligence Unit said.

But Abela appeared confident that this could be reversed through the right reforms, which had been kickstarted by the announced changes in the way the police commissioner is appointed.

“The plan for the future is that we go back to being classified as a ‘full democracy’, by continuing to put in place the necessary changes,” Abela said, “And we started doing so immediately.”

READ ALSO | Police commissioner will be chosen after public call

“The priority of my government is to carry out the needed institutional changes: reforms in the area of the rule of law, which we intend to continue doing and reforms in the way the judiciary is appointed. We’ve started with a reform in the method for appointing the police commissioner. I think this is a very strong reform and we will keep building on it,” he added.