VALLETTA, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Malta's former Foreign Affairs Minister George Vella is set to be the country's next President, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat announced on Tuesday.
Vella, 77, will be Malta's tenth president since Independence and will succeed outgoing President Marie-Louis Coleiro Preca in April.
In a tweet, Muscat said he had decided to submit Vella's nomination following constitutional consultations.
"I am proud of unanimous endorsement by cabinet and @PL_Malta (Labour Party) parliamentary group. I am sure Dr Vella will be another unifying figure for our people and country," Muscat wrote in the tweet.
The Nationalist Opposition party, whose leader Adrian Delia had previously called on Muscat to nominate a president from the Opposition camp, described the nomination as a "missed opportunity" to restore credibility to the country's institutions.
Malta's President Coleiro Preca endorsed the nomination.
"I am truly convinced that George Vella is indeed the right person to serve as Malta's next President," she tweeted.
The Prime Minister also announced that Coleiro Preca would retain her role with the Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society, which she founded upon taking office.
Vella was a doctor by profession and had a long career in Maltese politics. He was first elected to Parliament in 1976 where he served until 2017.
He was a minister in former Prime Minister Alfred Sant's cabinet between 1996 and 1998.
Malta's presidential nominee requires the backing of a majority in parliament, making it all but a formality given the Muscat administration's nine-seat majority.
