Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1543552
YOUR RIGHT TO KNOW WWW.MALTATODAY.COM.MT SUNDAY 1 MARCH 2026 • ISSUE 1374 • PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY Banking challenges maltatoday US attacks Iran EU funds and abortion The EU has unlocked funds for safe abortion travel €2.20 PAGE 3 BOV Chairperson Gordon Cordina on the housing market, cyber fraud and the economy The US and Israel bomb Iran, target regime change INTERVIEW MT2 The chief justice, an election and the status quo WITH no political convergence over the appointment of a new chief justice, it appears incumbent Mark Chetcuti will have to stay on for a while longer. In the wake of a political climate that has soured, Opposition Leader Alex Borg on Saturday proposed that Chetcuti remain in office until new legislation with an anti-dead- lock mechanism for the appoint- ment of chief justice is agreed. "The nomination for chief jus- tice should be subject to new leg- islation that considers some form of anti-deadlock mechanism that still has to be agreed upon by both sides," Borg said in a Facebook ex- plainer. Labour readies its election war room KURT SANSONE ksansone@mediatoday.com.mt WILL the prime minister call a general election in the com- ing weeks? That is the question that many have been asking and while only one man can provide the answer, the Labour Party is not taking any chances. At Labour headquarters in Hamrun, the party is preparing its election war room to give Robert Abela room to manoeu- vre as he pleases, party sources told MaltaToday. The next general election has to be held at the latest possible in June next year. Earlier this year in an exchange with the MaltaToday newsroom, Abela said he wanted the government to present its last budget of this legislature in October, effec- tively ruling out an election this year. However, he did introduce a caveat, citing international in- stability as a possible reason to call the election this year "if it is in the national interest." The latest controversy involv- ing Judge Lawrence Mintoff also gave a glimpse of Abela's possible timeline. In his ex- plosive sworn declaration to ministers, Mintoff alleged that Abela had told him he wanted the new chief justice to be ap- pointed after the next election, indicating March 2027 as a pos- sibility. CONTINUES PAGE 7 KURT SANSONE ksansone@mediatoday.com.mt CONTINUES PAGE 8 PAGE 4 Robert Abela waving to Labour Party supporters outside the Hamrun headquarters after winning the 2022 general election (Photo: Ray Attard/MaltaToday)