Malta has a new prime minister following the resignation of the former leader, Joseph Muscat, whose top adviser was linked to the car bomb murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.

One of Caruana Galizia’s sons, Andrew, told The Guardian that Abela was a political unknown who had just days to prove whether he would break with Muscat’s legacy, or seek to defend it.

Hamish Boland-Rudder reports:  Malta’s new prime minister has promised to strengthen the rule of law on the tiny island nation, following the resignation of his predecessor whose top adviser has been linked to the car bomb murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.

Lawmaker Robert Abela was sworn in as the country’s new prime minister at a ceremony on Monday. His predecessor, Joseph Muscat, resigned shortly beforehand, after six years in the role.

Abela defeated Deputy Prime Minister Chris Fearne in a Labor Party leadership ballot on Sunday. The son of a former Maltese Prime Minister, he has little political experience. He is a first-term lawmaker, who was elected to Parliament in 2017.

Abela vowed that he would strengthen the rule of law in the country, according to local media, while steering clear of addressing the probe into Caruana Galizia’s killing. He has
also promised to focus on social issues….icij.org

Malta: Robert Abela must initiate political restart

MEP Sven Giegold, financial and economic policy spokesperson of the Greens/EFA group, comments on the assumption of office of Malta’s new Prime Minister Robert Abela:

“Abela faces the great challenge of initiating a political restart in Malta. A restart is only possible if he clearly distances himself from the old system of corruption and clientelism. Abela deserves a chance, but scepticism is appropriate. He was a legal advisor to former Prime Minister Muscat and thus part of the old system. Malta must finally comply with European rules when it comes to anti-money laundering, the independence of the judiciary and banking supervision. Corruption and clientelism in public procurement and in planning procedures in the construction industry must be consistently prosecuted.

The new government must tackle all the problems that led to the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia. To this end, the Maltese Government must fully implement the recommendations of the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission. The European Commission should immediately start the dialogue with the new Maltese leadership in the context of the rule of law procedure. Europe can no longer ignore the culture of impunity for money laundering and corruption. The EU Commission must initiate an Article 7 procedure if no progress is made by the Maltese government”…sven-giegold.de

cleaning up?