Anglu Farrugia set to be reconfirmed as Speaker of the House

Anglu Farrugia is set to retain his constitutional post, with the PL parliamentary group expected to nominate him to continue serving as Speaker of the House of Representatives.

The nomination will be announced in the coming days, after Tuesday’s casual election, when Labour’s parliamentary group is fully elected.

Informed sources have told MaltaToday that Farrugia, who served as Speaker for the first time in the previous legislature, enjoys the full backing of Prime Minister Joseph Muscat.

Contacted by MaltaToday, Farrugia said he had no comments to make at this stage, adding no official talks with the Prime Minister have been as yet held.

When parliament opens for the 13th legislature on Saturday 24 June, the first item on the agenda will be the election of the Speaker.

According to Article 59 of the Constitution and parliament’s standing orders, the House has to elect a person to be the Speaker of the House before it proceeds to any other business. The House will also elect an MP, who is not a minister or a parliamentary secretary, to be the deputy speaker.

It has become practice that the deputy speaker is nominated from the opposition benches. It is as yet unknown whom the PN parliamentary group plans to nominate.

“The party is waiting for the results of the casual elections to be able to choose a shadow cabinet, which will also include the nomination of the deputy speaker,” a spokesperson for the PN had told MaltaToday earlier this week.

The PN’s casual elections are taking place on Wednesday.

Farrugia was nominated Speaker in 2013, a few months after resigning as PL deputy leader.