A commentary on the Constitution of Malta [Second Edition]

Abstract

In the short space of six years, several changes in the Maltese Constitution were approved with the joint effort and consent of Government and Opposition. Some were adopted as proposed, others following significant changes. These mainly hover over the appointment and removal from office of the President of Malta and the appointment and removal from office of members of the judiciary and of permanent secretaries. These amendments have been examined in this new edition, their background and adoption explained, as well as their contents analysed and criticised. Most of these amendments are positive in nature and were a direct reaction to the Report in 2019 by the European Commission for Democracy through Law, commonly known as the Venice Commission, of the Council of Europe. Others like the retirement age of judges and magistrates being increased, or the method of appointment of the Chief Justice, are purely autochthonous. [Excerpt from Preface to the second edition]