GOVERNMENT
Under
its 1964 constitution, Malta became a parliamentary democracy
within the Commonwealth. Queen Elizabeth II was sovereign of Malta,
and a governor general exercised executive authority on her behalf,
while the actual direction and control of the government and the
nation's affairs were in the hands of the cabinet under the leadership
of a Maltese prime minister.
On December
13, 1974, the constitution was revised, and Malta became a republic
within the Commonwealth, with executive authority vested in a
Maltese president. The president is appointed by parliament. In
turn, he appoints as prime minister the leader of the party with
a majority of seats in the unicameral House of Representatives.
The president also nominally appoints, upon recommendation of the prime minister, the individual ministers to head each of the government departments. The cabinet is selected from among the members of the House of Representatives, the number of which may vary between 65 and 69 members elected on the basis of proportional representation. The Constitution provides for general elections to be held at least every five years. Candidates are elected by the Single Transferable Vote system, where the surplus votes of an elected candidate are transferred to the candidate receiving the second preference votes. The process of vote transfers continues until all five candidates for a district are elected.
Malta's judiciary is independent. The chief justice and seventeen judges, two of whom are currently serving in international courts, are appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister after consultation with the leader of the opposition. Their mandatory retirement age is 65. The highest court, the Constitutional Court, hears appeals in cases involving violations of human rights, interpretation of the constitution, and invalidity of laws. It also has jurisdiction in cases concerning disputed parliamentary elections and electoral corrupt practices. There is a civil court, a family court, and a criminal court. In the latter, the presiding judge sits with a jury of nine. The court of appeal hears appeals from decisions of the civil court and of various boards and tribunals, including the Industrial, Small Claims, and Consumers’ Tribunal. The court of criminal appeal hears appeals from judgments of conviction by the criminal court. There are also inferior courts presided over by a magistrate.
The Local Councils Act, 1993 divided Malta into 68 localities, 14 of them in the smaller island of Gozo. Councilors are elected every three years by inhabitants who are registered as voters in the Electoral Register. Elections are held by means of the system of proportional representation using the single transferable vote. The Mayor is the head of the Local Council and the representative of the Council for all effects under the Act. The Executive Secretary, who is appointed by the Council, is the executive, administrative, and financial head of the Council. All decisions are taken collectively with the other members of the Council. Local Councils are responsible for the general upkeep and embellishment of the locality, local wardens, and refuse collection; they carry out general administrative duties for the Central Government, such as collection of Government rents and funds and answering Government-related public inquiries. The Act also provides for Councils to make, amend and revoke by-laws as necessary for the better execution of the Councils' functions and to improve the localities' environment.
POLITICAL CONDITIONS
Two parties dominate Malta's polarized and evenly divided politics--the Nationalist Party, led by Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi, and the Malta Labor Party. In 2008 the Malta Labor Party renamed itself simply the Labor Party and chose a new leader, former European Parliament member Joseph Muscat. Elections invariably generate a widespread voter turnout; in March 2008 the turnout was 93%. The margin between the two parties is so narrow that a 52% share of the votes is considered a "landslide" for the winning party. In the March 2008 elections, the Nationalist Party won reelection with 49.3% of the vote, earning it 35 seats, while the Labor Party received 48.8% of the vote (and 34 seats). While the two main parties dominate, two other parties were on the ballot in 2008, Alternative Demokratika (Green Party) and Azzjoni Nazzjonali (National Action); neither managed to secure a seat in parliament.
The first elections of European Parliament MPs were held on June 12, 2004 and
resulted in the election of two candidates from the governing Nationalist Party
and three from the opposition Malta Labor Party. The next elections for the
European Parliament are due in 2009.
Principal
Government Officials
President--Eddie Fenech Adami
Prime Minister--Lawrence Gonzi
Minister of Foreign Affairs--Tonio Borg
Ambassador to the United States--Mark Miceli Farrugia
Ambassador to the United Nations--Saviour Borg
Malta maintains
an embassy
in the United States at 2017 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington,
DC 20008 (202-462-3611).
Government Type: Republic.
Independence: September 1964.
Constitution: 1964; revised 1974; revised 1987.
Branches: Executive--president (chief of state), prime
minister (head of government), cabinet. Legislative--unicameral
House of Representatives. Judicial--Constitutional Court.
Administrative subdivisions: 13 electoral districts.
Political parties: Nationalist Party, Malta Labor Party,
Alternattiva Demokratika (Green Party).
Suffrage: Universal at 18.
