Prime Minister Joseph Muscat says that he will stay on until January but journalist’s family calls for his immediate departure
The embattled PM Joseph Muscat has resigned over the constitutional and political crisis triggered by the murder of the investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.
On Sunday evening, he announced that he is planning to stay on until a new leader of his ruling Labour party will get elected in January. Prime Minister Muscat expressed “deep regret” for Caruana Galizia’s murder.
Along with this he said that “This case cannot define everything that our country is.” As the nation awaited Muscat’s address, thousands gathered on the streets of Valletta. As a symbol of angry demonstration they hold candles in their hands. They also wave Malta’s red and white flag, and sang the national anthem.
With regard to the case PM Muscat said that “I will write to the president of the Labour party so that the process for a new Leader is set for 12 January 2020.” Furthermore, he “will resign as a leader of the Labour party.” In the following days he “I will resign as a prime minister.”
In the meanwhile, the journalist’s family has called for his immediate departure. They made it clear that are prepared to take legal action. The legal action will ensure that the Malta’s police force is free to investigate alleged links between members of Muscat’s administration and those who ordered the killing.
In a statement, the family said that “Until he resigns, we will use all legal remedies to ensure Muscat has no further involvement in the investigation and criminal proceedings.”
Caruana Galizia was killed in October 2017. A bomb was planted under her rental car’s driver seat which was detonated. The journalist was travelling away from her home in the village of Bidnija. Interestingly, she was working on a corruption case and exposed corruption at the highest level in Muscat’s government.
