With the last remaining step to pass the Cannabis Bill being the President’s signature, George Vella has shut down calls for him not to sign the approved law. 

During a speech in Gozo on Friday during a commemoration of Republic Day, the President outline the roles a president has in a parliamentary democratic society. 

‘We hear calls that the president should do this and that but we need to be informed of what is possible’ he said. 

‘The head of state cannot capriciously create a constitutional crisis and cause instability […] there is nothing in our Constitution that gives the president the final say on a law, otherwise we will create a dictator who decides what becomes law at a whim’. 

Despite not directly mentioning the cannabis legislation which was approved on Tuesday, the message was undeniably directed at the oppositional voices sounding against it. 

The Nationalist Party voted against the law, backed up by over 50 church-led organisations and individuals. Even former prime minister Lawrence Gonzi called for a commitment by his party to see the law repealed. 

The President emphasised how laws passed in parliament need to be signed by him almost immediately because otherwise he would be taking on all the power. 

‘The president has no power to ignore a law passed by parliament irrespective if he agrees with it or not…unless he has a serious moral objection in which case the President will have to call it a day and resign.’ 

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Photo Source: George Vella FB