Bernard Grech gives Jason Azzopardi the lie over pressure not to contest election

Xtra on TVM | Bernard Grech talks about Jason Azzopardi, abortion and the PN’s objection to government’s nominee for standards commissioner

Opposition leader Bernard Grech (left) has denied claims by Jason Azzopardi (right) that he was pressured by the leadership not to contest the general election
Opposition leader Bernard Grech (left) has denied claims by Jason Azzopardi (right) that he was pressured by the leadership not to contest the general election

Bernard Grech has denied pressuring Jason Azzopardi not to contest the March general election, a claim made by the former MP during a radio interview.

The Nationalist Party leader insisted on TVM’s Xtra that Azzopardi’s claims were untrue.

“It is not true that I asked Jason Azzopardi not to contest the election and he was free, like anyone else, to contest in districts of his choosing,” Grech said when asked by programme host Saviour Balzan on Monday night.

He then elaborated further: “It is not true that I or the party leadership asked him not to contest.”

When interviewed on Saturday on 103FM, Azzopardi accused Grech of “placing him under a fatwa” and that under his leadership the party tried to encourage him to resign or not contest the 2022 election.

Azzopardi ruled out re-joining the PN, at least until Grech was leader. Azzopardi contested the general election on the 4th and 9th districts but failed to get elected. 

On Monday night, Grech described Azzopardi as “an intelligent” person who did a lot of good work but insisted that it was his choice to resign from the PN.

“After the election, Jason Azzopardi made serious allegations and when the party asked him to substantiate them, instead of doing so, he resigned of his own accord,” Grech said.

Abortion

On government’s proposal to include an exception to anti-abortion legislation, Grech said the Opposition did not yet have the proposed amendment in hand.

He insisted that once the legal text being proposed by government is available, the Opposition will be discussing the matter and come forward with its position. The programme was recorded early in the afternoon and the text of the amendment was only published afterwards.

However, he did give a hint that the PN may come around to support the amendment if it deals with saving a woman’s life.

“Today we already have a situation where doctors do terminate a pregnancy when a woman’s life is at risk. If this is the case, then we will not be against but the detail of the law is important,” Grech said.

This position, however, fails to cover instances when the woman’s health is at risk, something the government’s proposal also covers.

When it was pointed out that these changes were made necessary as a result of the Andrea Prudente case earlier this year, Grech noted that government’s reply to the constitutional case the American tourist filed was that her life was never in danger.

“We need the facts in our hand before we speak… we have responsibility to do politics right… I will not give in to pressure from Labour Party and the media, which are not understanding the importance of adopting a careful and studied position on issues like these,” Grech replied.

The PN’s statute states that the party should strive to protect life from conception to natural death.

Standard commissioner objection

The PN leader reiterated the Opposition’s objection to former chief justice Joseph Azzopardi’s nomination for standards commissioner but did not elaborate on the reasons why.

Grech accused Prime Minister Robert Abela of wanting to humiliate the former chief justice by insisting on putting forward his name knowing there was no agreement.

The standards commissioner requires a two-thirds vote in parliament to be approved.

“We had an agreement that nobody had to know who nominated who and nobody should speak publicly before the talks are concluded but instead of sticking to this arrangement, Robert Abela leaked the names to put pressure on the Opposition to accept the nominees,” Grech said.

“I respect Joseph Azzopardi but the Opposition has its reasons for not agreeing to his nomination and the Prime Minister risks humiliating Joseph Azzopardi through his actions,” the Opposition leader said.

The Opposition has agreed to the appointment of former judge Joseph Zammit McKeon as ombudsman, which also requires a two-thirds majority vote in parliament.