The next President should be appointed with a two-thirds parliamentary majority to convey a strong message of unity, the Democratic Party is insisting.
The call was made on Monday afternoon at the end of a meeting between a PD delegation by Godfrey Farrugia, with President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, who is heading the steering committee tasked to pilot the Constitutional Convention.
Addressing a news conference at San Anton Gardens, Dr Farrugia insisted there was still ample time to find agreement on a candidate who would enjoy the backing of both sides of the House.
The term of President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca expires on April 4, but former Minister George Vella is already being touted as her successor. Under the existing constitution, the President is nominated by the government and is elected by a simple parliamentary majority.
“If there is political will, there is still time [to amend the Constitution],” Dr Farrugia said.
He noted that since the Constitution would have to be amended to empower the parties have access to the ballot sheets of each and every voter, for three months after elections including those of May 25, he did not see why the constitution could not be changed to cater for the election of the President as well.
During the news conference, PD outlined its other proposals for the convention. The party is proposing that in the first year, the steering committee holds wide-ranging consultations, so that in the second year a decision would be taken on “what model of democracy” should be adopted.
Furthermore, PD is calling for the setting up of a technical commission which would use the recommendations submitted by the Venice Commission as a blueprint. Moreover, the steering committee should immediately establish the time-frames and terms of reference of the convention.
The party is also proposing a continuous educational campaign throughout the convention to keep the public abreast of what is going on.
Asked whether the new constitution should be endorsed through a referendum, Dr Farrugia said there would be no need if the final draft was the result of genuine consultation.
He noted that holding a referendum would pose the risk of large sections of the electorate toeing the party line, rather than decide on the merits of the issues at stake. However, the PD leader noted that the convention should be a permanent process, presenting a report every two years on other changes required.
MEP candidate Martin Cauchi Inglott outlined the party’s view on the role of the President, saying the ideal candidate should be somebody of integrity and competence - and who really deserves to be in such role.
PD spokesman Marcus Lauri said there was a need to establish a rule of law to address existing shortcomings. One such example was the need to empower the Constitutional Court to annul unconstitutional laws and to strip government’s authority to suspend the Constitutional Court.
Other suggestions are to reform the nomination mechanism for members of the judiciary and to bar anyone with past political connections from becoming a magistrate or judge.