President cautions MPs not to normalise bullying in Parliament

The President reserved some stern words to the members of parliament, saying that at times, the house of representatives was setting a bad example.

"We are being watched and we are being judged for misbehaviour. We will lose all shred of civility if we carry on this way and normalise bullying in the house of representatives. We need to show respect towards one another, especially because parliament is where people's needs and woes are openly discussed," she said.

Speaker of the House, Anglu Farrugia, said that it was true that temperatures tended to rise in parliament but these instances were few and far between.

Parliamentary members and the President were exchanging New Year's greetings at The Palace in Valletta.

Opposition leader Adrian Delia exchanged greetings with the President

"This parliamentary year was exceptional. Just this year, 46 laws were passed and parliament met more than 120 times, with the committees meeting no less than 194 times," Farrugia said.

He also reminded the president that the Commissioner of Standards will now be acting as a watchdog. The Committee of Public Standards has no majority from either side of the house and has equal representation.

President Marie Louise Coleiro Preca told the Prime Minister that she always called a spade a spade and there were times when she criticised the government but this criticism was always taken respectfully by the head of government.

Still, she did not refrain from saying that were was room for improvement as she greeted representatives of the executive.

"The concept of equal representation in parliament should be addressed immediately due to a democratic deficit," she said.

She then praised the Vote 16 reform and said she's happy that youngsters were now part of the democratic process but that this should now translate into them having a say in the running of the country. "If they're able to vote, youngsters should also be eligible for governance. There is the need for more youthful participation in political discussions."

While Joseph Muscat commented on how well the country was doing in terms of the economy, Coleiro Preca remarked that further steps need to be taken to make sure that nobody in society was in a vulnerable situation.

Parliamentary members exchanged greetings with the President

She thanked him for the many successes Malta had achieved throughout her presidential tenure.

"We did face challenges in terms of rent this year but I'm pleased to see that wealth is being distributed more equally. We've faced criticism, people telling us we're doing too much and others telling us the government is doing very little—we're still trying to find a balance," Muscat said.

Muscat thanked Coleiro Preca and First Gentleman Edgar Preca for their work on Istrina and he said he looked forward to an analysis of her tenure. Coleiro Preca concluded by thanking him for the many successes Malta had achieved throughout her presidential tenure.

Meeting with members of the judicial branch of government, Coleiro Preca remarked that the female adjudicators were conspicuous in the room.

"It seems that we broke the glass ceiling when it comes to female representation in this sector," she said.

Chief Justice Joseph Azzopardi with President Coleiro Preca

She also spoke about the need for effective access to justice when it comes to cases involving children, remarking that prescription on cases involving children should be done away with.

Chief Justice Joseph Azzopardi said that he agreed with the president on the issue. "I spent five years in the family court and I know the difficulties facing children. The adjudicator places a lot of faith in children, however, and sometimes listens to them more than he does the parties involved in the case."

Azzopardi claimed that there were three judges presiding in the family court at present and that this would improve the process for swift justice.

"Our only point of reference is the president and this is the last time that I can truly thank you for the continued support the judiciary has found in you," he said.