Malta's new president takes office
Malta's new president Myriam Spiteri Debono waves to the crowd on the balcony of the Grandmaster's Palace in Valletta, Malta, April 4, 2024. Malta's new president Myriam Spiteri Debono was sworn in as the 11th President of Malta on Thursday, following a unanimous parliamentary resolution. (Photo by Jonathan Borg/Xinhua)
Malta's new president Myriam Spiteri Debono was sworn in as the 11th President of Malta on Thursday, following a unanimous parliamentary resolution.
She took her oath of office in a special parliamentary sitting held at the Grandmaster's Palace in Valletta, the official seat of the President of the Republic.
Spiteri Debono, 71, is the third woman to hold this office, after having been the only woman who ever served as speaker of the House of Representatives.
She succeeds George Vella, who held office for the past five years.
In her first speech as president, she said she would work for electoral reforms that would facilitate the representation of more than two political parties in Parliament, ensuring that even the smallest groups of society are represented fairly.
She called for more acceptance of foreigners living in Malta and decried the "disease of greed" affecting the Maltese society, where the desire for more money was eating away at society's core values, showing "indifference towards the suffering".
Related articles
A mass parachute jump over Normandy kicks off commemorations for the 80th anniversary of D
CARENTAN-LES-MARAIS, France (AP) — Parachutists jumping from World War II-era planes hurled themselv2024-06-03Oleksandr Usyk beats Tyson Fury to become undisputed heavyweight champ
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Oleksandr Usyk has been shorter, lighter and older than all of his oppon2024-06-03Chinese foreign minister holds talks with ROK counterpart
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of Ch2024-06-03China's power generation up 3.1% in April
Power generation of China's major electricity production enterprises went up 3.1 percent year on2024-06-03- ATEHNS, Ga. (AP) — Mike Becchetti crushed an 0-2 pitch well past the left field wall in the bottom o2024-06-03
Hamas says to reconsider negotiating strategy
An Israeli self-propelled howitzer fires a shell to the Gaza Strip near the Kerem Shalom crossing in2024-06-03
atest comment