On October 16, Daphne Caruana Galizia, a Maltese journalist, was killed in a car bombing outside her home. Her murder has renewed concerns about law and order, democracy and press freedom in Malta. As international condemnation grows, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat is coming under pressure to demonstrate that state institutions are capable of protecting and enforcing these values in a manner consistent with European norms.
The right-wing Nationalist Party has used the murder to attack the government for a breakdown in the rule of law and democratic process.
However, divided and weak since the last elections, the Nationalists will probably fail to convert the tragedy into political gain.
The murder has thrust Malta’s state institutions and legal frameworks into the international spotlight.
There is pressure on the police to apprehend the culprits and public demands for the police commissioner to resign.
