Carmelo Abela kept away from Cabinet

The decision to appoint former minister Carmelo Abela as Speaker of the House was designed to permanently remove him from any prospect of returning to Cabinet while offering him a prestigious but largely powerless constitutional role, government insiders have told The Shift.

Sources said Prime Minister Robert Abela made it clear during consultations on the formation of his new Cabinet that he did not intend to appoint Abela to any ministerial or parliamentary secretary position despite his re-election to parliament.

Instead, the veteran Labour politician was offered the role of Speaker. The offer came with the condition that he first relinquish his parliamentary seat in the Third District.

The condition is particularly noteworthy because Malta’s Constitution does not require a sitting MP to give up his or her seat to become Speaker. The Constitution allows the Speaker to be elected from among sitting members of parliament, provided they are not ministers or parliamentary secretaries.

Government insiders explained that had Abela retained his seat while becoming Speaker, he would have remained an elected MP and could, at least theoretically, have returned to Cabinet in the event of a future reshuffle. Yet by accepting the prime minister’s request to resign his seat, that possibility has now been effectively eliminated.

The arrangement, described as a win-win,  also benefits the Labour government politically.

Abela’s resignation will trigger a casual election, allowing another Labour representative to enter parliament while he moves to the Speaker’s chair. Labour therefore maintains its parliamentary strength of five parliamentary seats while gaining the casting vote of the Speaker in the rare scenario of a tie.

Several government sources interpreted the move as a way of accommodating a senior Labour figure while ensuring he remains permanently outside the executive.

Abela, who served as minister under both disgraced former prime minister Joseph Muscat and Robert Abela, was dropped from Cabinet after the 2022 general elections despite securing re-election. Although he publicly expressed disappointment, he remained loyal to the government and continued serving as a backbench MP.

His exclusion from Cabinet did not result in a complete withdrawal from public office.

Following his removal from government, he was appointed chief executive of a government entity responsible for the management of the Mrieħel Industrial Estate, a position carrying a lucrative salary.

The appointment was widely viewed as an effort to retain him in a senior public role while keeping him away from executive political decision-making.

Despite his continued electoral success and long parliamentary experience, Robert Abela repeatedly declined opportunities to bring him back into Cabinet during subsequent reshuffles and following the latest elections.

The reasons behind the prime minister’s apparent determination to keep Abela away from ministerial office remain unclear and were never publicly explained.

Within Labour circles, speculation has often centred on allegations linking Abela to the 2010 HSBC heist. Abela has denied any involvement and was never charged with any offence despite being questioned by police during investigations. He has repeatedly described the allegations as false and unfounded.

No evidence has emerged showing that these allegations influenced Robert Abela’s decisions. Nevertheless, the prime minister’s continued refusal to appoint Carmelo Abela to Cabinet has fuelled persistent speculation within Labour ranks that factors beyond ordinary political considerations are at play.

Carmelo Abela is expected to be elected Speaker when parliament reconvenes on Saturday through a motion requiring the support of a simple majority.

The Nationalist Party has not yet indicated whether it will support his appointment.