Muscat votes in Labour deputy leadership election

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat cast his vote in an election for Labour’s deputy leader for party affairs, that is expected to see energy and health minister Konrad Mizzi succeed Toni Abela.

The press were invited to witness the Prime Minister voting at the PL headquarters in Hamrun along with tourism minister Edward Zammit Lewis, but he didn’t give any comments.

The vote opened at 9am, and will close at 8:30pm in Malta and 6pm in Gozo.

Mizzi is uncontested in this race, and he must receive 50 per cent plus one of the Labour delegates’ votes to be confirmed as deputy leader.

Although the post was not originally open to serving MPs, Mizzi’s nomination was made possible following amendments to the party’s statute requested by Muscat and approved by the party’s delegates.

Muscat had said that he wanted the new deputy leader to work on “party-government synergy” ahead of the next election.

However, the minister has recently been embroiled in controversy, following revelations that he had registered a family trust in New Zealand, which also owns shares in a company in Panama, widely regarded as a tax haven.