2. Geography of Malta
Location: Southern Europe, islands in
the Mediterranean Sea, south of
Sicily (Italy)
Area:
◦ Total: 316 sq km
◦ Country comparison to the world: 208
◦ Land: 316 sq km
◦ Water: 0 sq km
Area – comparative: Slightly less
than twice the size of
Washington, D.C.
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 196.8 km (does not
include 56 km for the island of Gozo)
4. Background of Malta’s political system
Politics of Malta function within a structure of a parliamentary representative
republic, with the President of Malta as the constitutional head of state, in
whom executive power is vested, with the all-purpose direction and control of
the Government of Malta remaining with the PM of Malta, who leads the
government and the cabinet.
Legislative power is vested in the Parliament of Malta, which comprises the
President of Malta and the unicameral House of Representatives of Malta, with
the Speaker as the supervising officer of the legislative body.
Judicial power remains with the Chief Justice and the Judiciary of Malta.
Malta’s party electoral structure has been ruled by the Christian democratic
Nationalist Party (Partit Nazzjonalista) and the social democratic Labour Party
(Partit Laburista) since independence.
5. Malta’s political system:
Government of Malta
Capital: Valletta
◦ Largest city: Birkirkara
Official languages: Maltese
(national / official), English
(official)
Demonym: Maltese
Government: Parliamentary
republic
President: George Abela
Prime Minister: Joseph Muscat
Legislature: House of
Representatives
6. Malta’s political system: Executive
branch
Malta became a parliamentary democracy within the Commonwealth under its 1964
constitution.
Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom was sovereign of Malta, with a Governor-General
exercised executive power on her behalf, even though the government’s actual direction
and the country’s affairs were in the cabinet’s hands under a Maltese PM’s leadership.
The constitution was amended on 13 December 1974; Malta became a republic within the
Commonwealth, with executive power vested in the President of Malta, and that power can
be exercised directly or through officers to whom he is superior.
The House of Representatives elects the president for a five-year term.
The president nominates the leader of the party with a majority of seats in the unicameral
House of Representatives (Maltese: Kamra tad-Deputati) as PM.
The President also nominally nominates, upon the PM’s suggestion, the individual
ministers, who are chosen from among the members of the House of
Representatives, which, unless extra seats are given to a party which wins an absolute
majority of votes (but not a Parliamentary majority), typically is grouped of 65 members.
Elections need to take place at least every 5 years; the electoral structure used is single
transferable vote.
7. Malta’s political system:
Legislative branch
Elections to the House of Representatives
(Kamra tad-Deputati) are modeled on the
single transferable vote structure, which
sequentially is a modification of the
proportional representation electoral structure.
First vacancies are filled by process of casual
election and later vacancies by process of co-
option; this means that no by-elections occur
between one general election and the other.
The Parliamentary term may not surpass five
years.
Normally, 65 members are elected to the House
from 13 multi-seat constituencies, each
returning 5 MPs. Additional MPs are elected in
two conditions:
◦ When a party wins 50%+1 of first-preference valid votes in
the election, but fails to obtain a Parliamentary majority, it
is given enough seats (claimed by the best runner-up
nominees) to achieve a Parliamentary majority.
◦ When in an election contested by more than two parties
only two of those parties make it to Parliament and the
relative Parliamentary power is not in proportion to the first
preference votes acquired, extra seats are assigned to
establish proportionality.
A third electoral amendment has been passed;
it assures strict-proportionality as regards
votes and seats to parliamentary political
groups.
9. George Abela
Born in Qormi on 22 April 1948.
8th and current President of Malta;
assumed office on 4 April 2009.
Was born to George and Ludgarda (née
Debono) Abela.
Attended the local primary school in
Qormi, and the Lyceum in Hamrun.
Enrolled in the University of Malta in
1965; earned his Bachelor of Arts
degree there.
Briefly continued his studies as an
instructor and became a notary public;
graduated as a lawyer in 1975.
Was instantly employed by the General
Workers’ Union as a legitimate advisor;
worked within the Union for 25 years,
thus acquiring substantial familiarity in
employment law.
10. Joseph Muscat
Born in Pietà on 22 January 1974.
13th and current PM of Malta;
assumed office on 11 March
2013, following the Labour Party’s
victory in the March 2013 general
election.
Also the current leader of the Labour
Party since 6 June 2008.
Was Leader of the Opposition from 1
October 2008-10 March 2013.
Previously served as an MEP from
2004-2008.
11. Nationalist Party
Christian-democratic and conservative
political party in Malta.
One of Malta’s two biggest
parties, together with the ruling Labour
Party.
Founded by Fortunato Mizzi in 1880 as
the Anti-Reform Party, in opposition
to taxation decreed by the British
colonial authorities and standards to
Anglicise the educational and the
judicial systems.
The existence of Italian immigrants
from the Risorgimento gave the party a
liberal constitutionalist quality in PN’s
early days and a pro-Italian position
which lasted up to the Second World
War.
Member of International Democrat
Union and Centrist Democrat
International (International affiliation)
and European People’s Party
(EPP, European affiliation and EP group).
12. Labour Party
Social-democratic political party in
Malta.
Founded 15 October 1920.
Led by current PM Joseph Muscat.
One of Malta’s two biggest parties,
along with the Nationalist Party.
Ruling party in the Maltese House of
Representatives after having defeated
the Nationalist Party in the March 2013
elections.
Member of Socialist International
(International affiliation, observer),
Party of European Socialists (European
affiliation), and Progressive Alliance of
Socialists and Democrats (EP group).
