State Opening of Parliament today

The 12th Parliament since Independence will be inaugurated today with the swearing-in of the new Speaker and MPs and the 'Speech from the Throne' by President George Abela. The State Opening of Parliament, as the ceremony is called, will be preceded by concelebrated Mass - known at the Mass of the Holy Spirit - at 9 a.m. led by Archbishop Paul Cremona. Following the Mass, the MPs and their families will walk to the Palace and enter the Chamber. This will be the last time that this Chamber will host the inauguration of parliament. It has done so since 1921, when Malta was granted self-government and the Legislative Assembly was convened. The composition of the new parliament is vastly different from the last. The last parliament had started with a government having a one-seat majority. That became a coalition government when one of the Nationalist MPs - Jeffrey Pullicno Orlando - resigned the whip but still continued to back the Nationalist electoral programme. The legislature ended when the government lost the vote on the Budget after then Nationalist MP Franco Debono joined the Opposition in voting against. In the new parliament, the new Labour government has a comfortable...