Following the passing of Francis Zammit Dimech, a former Nationalist MP who formerly held the position, former European Commissioner Helena Dalli is scheduled to become Malta’s next acting president.
Earlier this year, Dalli, a lifelong Labour leader and former European Commissioner for Equality of Malta was tipped to take President George Vella’s post. But former Speaker Myriam Spiteri Debono ultimately took the role, purportedly exasperating Dalli. Even her husband, Patrick Dalli, speculated that senior Labour politicians plotted to stop her from becoming president.
Malta’s constitution calls for an acting president to carry out the duties of the presidency if the position is vacant or the president is unable to carry out their responsibilities. Unlike the president, the acting position does not need two-thirds parliamentary approval.
The Opposition Nationalist Party (PN) has condemned Dalli’s appointment on both political and procedural bases. PN referenced Dalli’s role in the former Muscat administration, which a public inquiry partly attributed to nurturing a culture of impunity connected to the assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.
The PN also emphasized a prior agreement during President Spiteri Debono’s appointment whereby the acting presidency would pass to a candidate from the Opposition, a foundation on which Zammit Dimech had been appointed.
Opposition Leader Bernard Grech criticized the decision in a Facebook post, accusing Prime Minister Robert Abela of making the decision alone and without consultation. “He used the country to pay off his debt [to Dalli],” Grech wrote, pointing out that Abela only informed him after the media had reported the appointment.
In revealing her appointment, Abela lauded Dalli’s legacy, mentioning her efforts on social change, human rights, and equality. Before joining the European Commission in 2019, Dalli had been Minister for Social Dialogue and Civil Liberties from 2013 to 2017, Minister for European Affairs and Equality, and Parliamentary Secretary for Women’s Rights (1996–1998).
Commissioner Dalli was the first to have the standalone Equality portfolio in the von der Leyen Commission, where she promoted changes on gender rights and anti-discrimination all over the EU.
Her nomination represents a major return to domestic politics and places her once more close to the top of Malta’s political ladder, notwithstanding the backlash.
