Malta's Prime Minister Joseph Muscat waives during his farewell speech as Labour Party leader in Kordin, near Valletta, Friday, Jan. 10, 2020. A new leader will be elected during the weekend. (AP Photo/Rene Rossignaud)
The Associated Press
VALLETTA, Malta (AP) - Malta's Labor Party was choosing a new leader Saturday to replace Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, who announced his resignation amid increasing demands at home and abroad for accountability following the assassination of an anti-corruption journalist.
Around 17,500 Labor Party members were eligible to choose between two contenders Saturday: Deputy Prime Minister Chris Fearne, 56, and Labor lawmaker Robert Abela, 42. The victor will automatically become prime minister.
Results were expected early Sunday, with the new leader to address the nation Sunday afternoon. Muscat has said he will resign following the election of the new Labor leader.
Both candidates have acknowledged that recent weeks have been 'œdifficult'ť for Malta, stopping short of criticizing Muscat but pledging to work to restore Malta's reputation abroad and citizens' confidence in the rule of law.
In a farewell speech Friday, Muscat said he was paying 'œthe highest political price for a dark episode'ť by stepping aside, a reference to the car-bomb slaying of Daphne Caruana Galizia in October 2017. He said he was proud that under his tenure people had been arrested and charged with the killing.
Muscat announced his resignation Dec. 1 after his chief of staff, Keith Schembri, was arrested and questioned in connection with the killing. Schembri was later released but is still under investigation.
Caruana Galizia was known for her unrelenting reporting on corruption at the highest levels in Maltese politics and business, for loose financial and banking rules have made Malta an attractive place for money launderers. She had reported threats shortly before her death.
Three men are facing trial for carrying out the assassination, while a fourth, prominent Maltese businessman Yorgen Fenech, has been charged with complicity in the murder. He denies wrongdoing.
Muscat has served as Malta's prime minister for 6 1/2 years, and leaves Labor with a comfortable majority in Parliament. His decision to quit did not allay public protests against the government.
In the wake of the journalist's killing, European lawmakers sent two delegations to Malta to investigate rule of law on the island nation. And legal experts from Europe's top human rights body issued a report saying Malta needs better checks and balances since the prime minister's powers eclipse those of other institutions.
People crowd the Maltese Labour Party congress where party leader and Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat will deliver his farewell speech as Labour Party leader in Kordin, near Valletta, Friday, Jan. 10, 2020. A new leader will be elected during the weekend. (AP Photo/Rene Rossignaud)
The Associated Press
Maltese Prime Minister and Labour Party leader Joseph Muscat, back to camera at right, is hugged by party member Chris Fearne during a party general assembly where he delivered his farewell speech as party leader in Kordin, near Valletta, Friday, Jan. 10, 2020. At left party member Robert Abela. A new leader will be elected during the weekend. (AP Photo/Rene Rossignaud)
The Associated Press
People crowd the Maltese Labour Party congress where party leader and Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat will deliver his farewell speech as Labour Party leader in Kordin, near Valletta, Friday, Jan. 10, 2020. A new leader will be elected during the weekend. (AP Photo/Rene Rossignaud)
The Associated Press
Malta's Prime Minister Joseph Muscat waives during his farewell speech as Labour Party leader in Kordin, near Valletta, Friday, Jan. 10, 2020. A new leader will be elected during the weekend. (AP Photo/Rene Rossignaud)
The Associated Press
Malta's Prime Minister Joseph Muscat waives during his farewell speech as Labour Party leader in Kordin, near Valletta, Friday, Jan. 10, 2020. A new leader will be elected during the weekend. (AP Photo/Rene Rossignaud)
The Associated Press
Malta's Prime Minister Joseph Muscat delivers his farewell speech as Labour Party leader in Kordin, near Valletta, Friday, Jan. 10, 2020. A new leader will be elected during the weekend. (AP Photo/Rene Rossignaud)
The Associated Press
FILE -- In this Oct. 19, 2017 file photo, Malta's Prime Minister Joseph Muscat arrives for a meeting of European Socialists prior to an EU summit in Brussels. Muscat was set to deliver his final address to the nation Friday evening , Jan. 10, 2020, after he announced last month that he would resign as leader of the Labor Party and prime minister amid demands for accountability in the assassination of an investigative journalist. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)
The Associated Press
FILE - In this Sept. 26, 2019 file photo, Malta's Prime Minister Joseph Muscat addresses the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly, at the United Nations headquarters. Muscat was set to deliver his final address to the nation Friday evening , Jan. 10, 2020, after he announced last month that he would resign as leader of the Labor Party and prime minister amid demands for accountability in the assassination of an investigative journalist. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
The Associated Press