Alex Borg meets MaltaToday : Opposition Leader warns PM not to delay chief justice appointment

maltatoday.com.mt · Feb 18, 2026 · Collected from GDELT

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Opposition leader Alex Borg does not want the decision on a new chief justice to be postponed until the next election, saying ongoing talks risk turning into a partisan tactic and revealing a breakdown of trust following the proposed nomination of the candidate. In a Q&A with the MaltaToday newsroom, Borg said that discussions to appoint a new chief justice are still underway but he does not want the government to drags its feet with the intention to delay the decision until an election. “We are going to make sure discussions continue but I hope that the PM is not biding his time, waiting for an election before appointing a chief justice. I want to make sure this won’t be a political game where he waits for an election and then appoints a chief justice.” He also feels that there has been a breach of trust after the government revealed that it wanted to appoint Judge Consuelo Scerri Herrera to the post – so much so that he now refuses to meet with the government by himself on sensitive matters. “I was clear that I will not have any discussions with them by myself. In our last discussion there was Joe Giglio present with me, as well as Jonathan Attard on the government’s side.” We also asked him about the firebrands of the party – people like Franco Debono who brought down the PN government in 2012 or Jason Azzopardi, who resigned and started an open war with Borg’s predecessor in 2022. Borg insisted that his door is open to anyone who wants to contribute to the party’s vision of the country. “We look at the national interest. Whoever wants to contribute to the country – strengthen the party and strengthen the country – the door is open with open arms.” When pushed further on the difficult personalities of people in politics, he said that past mistakes should not define the person’s future. “Qualities remain. I believe that everyone has their place in the party.” He also said that former Labourites, some of whom have been on the party’s frontlines and even on the executive team, have met with Borg and will be actively included in party structures. During the discussion, MaltaToday’s journalists grilled him on other topics, including abortion, economy, environment and traffic. Read the full report about the Q&A in the MaltaToday newspaper next Sunday