The House of Representatives this evening unanimously voted to appoint Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca as President.

Prime minister Joseph Muscat said this was a historic moment and he thanked the Opposition for backing the nomination, a decision which was not easy since she came from a different political side. He was confident, he said, that five years on, the country would be pleased with the choice that was being made now.

The nomination, he said, was a powerful signal of change for the country. Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca was different from her predecessors. Malta had not had a woman in one of the top national posts for 32 years. She would be a role model for many young women.

But Ms Coleiro Preca was being nominated not because she was a woman, but because of the choices she had made in her life. She served as a party general secretary when she was extremely young and did not fear the huge political tensions of the time. Indeed she worked to ensure matters did not get out of hand.

Ms Coleiro Preca was a mother before she was married, a symbol that stereotypes were being broken as society was changing.

Her love for the social sector was expected to make her presidency the moral compass of the government, the House and the people. She was ready to speak for those who did not have a voice, the minorities and the downtrodden.

Dr Muscat admitted that he had had his disagreements with Ms Coleiro Preca, but said she was always fair and correct and her democratic credentials were intact.

Dr Muscat said he also wished to thank Edgar Preca, who would be the First Gentleman, a first for Malta and a challenging role in itself.

There was no doubt, Dr Muscat said, that the government was losing an important minister. The Labour Party was losing a vote-catcher, but the people as a whole would have one of the best Presidents this nation ever had.

Opposition leader Simon Busuttil said all those who believed that the President should be a symbol of unity should do their bit for the President to be able to fulfil that role. It was for this reason that the Opposition would vote in favour of the nomination, so that the Presidency would be for all.

To date, Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca had been a political adversary. But she would now be a President for all. He had no doubt that she would rise to the occasion and serve in the manner expected of her Office.

Dr Busuttil said the Opposition regretted the manner how the President had been chosen, saying there was a lack of government respect for the opposition.

The prime minister had not consulted the leader of the opposition, and only informed him after everybody else knew of the nomination. It was also unfortunate that the government had not appointed somebody from a different political side, as was done five years ago. This was at variance with claims of a new beginning in politics.

Despite this, however, the opposition would show the good will which the government had lacked. The opposition was constructive in words as well as deeds, but for the future the opposition expected respect. The government should work for the opposition's respect and not take it for granted.

Dr Busuttil also stressed that the role of the presidency should not be defined by the prime minister. The role was defined by the Constitution and any new powers handed to the President had to be approved by the House, not the government.

The President was the symbol of the state and of the separation of the Executive, Legislative and the Judiciary. The Office marked the separation of powers and that should be preserved. The presidency should be free of executive powers and anything which could be seen as politically partisan Therefore, the opposition disagreed with the ideas the prime minister had of directly handing powers to the presidency. Such changes should only come after parliamentary debate and approval, Dr Busuttil said.

Dr Busuttil wished the best for Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca and promised the Opposition's support as she worked to strengthen unity among the people. He also conveyed his best wishes to her husband Edgar Preca.

Ms Coleiro Preca will be sworn in on Friday afternoon.

See interview with her husband Edgar Preca at http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20140401/local/edgar-preca-the-shy-first-gentleman.513049