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Judge Consuelo Scerri Herrera's nomination for Chief Justice failed to get the required two-thirds parliamentary approval after the Opposition members voted against her nomination.
Government MP's, 39, voted in favour while the 34 Opposition voted against the motion. In a spikey discussion which followed, both sides of the House hurled accusations at each other. Prime Minister Robert Abela claimed that Judge Consuelo Scerri Herrera was also the Opposition's choice but that was blocked by what the PM described as “the PN’s extremist faction”. That claim was instantly dismissed by Opposition Leader Alex Borg. The question now is, What happens now? If no agreement is reached by Thursday, 5th February, the Constitution allows for the appointment of an acting chief justice.