Testing the constitution – Thomas Sciberras Herrera

The Maltese Constitution in its true form is that of 1964, given to us by our previous British rulers. Along the years, many amendments have been made to this important document reflecting the nation’s achievements such as becoming a republic in 1974, joining the EU in 2004 and ensuring majority rule in 1987.

It is not often that the constitution is in fact amended, as most articles require the consensus of two-thirds of the House of Representatives which, in Malta’s partisan soul, is a hard threshold to reach.

In spite of this, the government and the opposition do sometimes give the constitution a facelift. The biggest recent facelift was that of 2020, where, among the several articles amended, the article regarding the appointment of the president might likely create a difficult situation in politics. Until 2020, the president was always described by pundits as simply a figurehead and a charity fundraiser but,  today, the situation is no longer so.

Prior to 2020, the appointment of the president only required a simple majority in the House of Representatives to be elected, even though some presidents, such as today’s head of state, George Vella, obtained a much wider vote.