Labour executive blocks Roderick Galdes from contesting election in secret vote

Disgraced former Housing Minister Roderick Galdes will not be contesting the next general elections after the Labour Party executive voted down his request to run on the party’s ticket in a secret ballot held on Monday afternoon.

Galdes, whose political career has been marred by a string of scandals linked to Malta’s social and affordable housing sector, was rejected by a majority of executive members following internal backlash over Prime Minister Robert Abela’s handling of controversial candidacies.

The decision came just hours after former Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo announced that he, too, would not be contesting the election.

The Shift is informed that Bartolo was instructed by Prime Minister Abela to step aside due to an ongoing investigation involving his wife. However, Labour executive members reportedly objected to what they saw as a double standard: Bartolo was being sidelined while Galdes – despite mounting allegations of misconduct – was initially being considered for a place on Labour’s ballot.

This prompted heated discussions within the executive, culminating in a secret vote that ultimately blocked Galdes’ candidacy.

Galdes has recently come under renewed scrutiny following claims of misconduct and pushed to resign amid allegations concerning his conduct in office and his dealings with private contractors involved in lucrative public housing projects.

Former Labour MEP Marlene Mizzi publicly accused Galdes of “hobnobbing with contractors”, alleging that he had cultivated inappropriate relationships with developers and businessmen who benefitted from government housing schemes and direct orders issued under his ministry.

His tenure as minister was already heavily criticised over repeated controversies involving the allocation of social housing units, questionable direct orders, and accusations that major public projects were being used to benefit politically connected individuals and himself.

Despite this, the Prime Minister’s apparent willingness to still consider Galdes for the party’s electoral ticket sparked internal outrage.

Meanwhile, former Health Minister Chris Fearne – currently facing criminal charges in court in connection with the scandal-ridden hospitals concession deal – will still be allowed to contest the next election on Labour’s ticket.

Fearne is among several former officials arraigned in connection with the fraudulent transfer of three public hospitals to Vitals Global Healthcare and later Steward Health Care, a scandal that has cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of euros.

The Labour executive’s decisions are expected to deepen internal divisions within the party as Abela attempts to contain growing discontent over ethics, accountability, and the selection of candidates tainted by scandal.