Malta
Island in the Mediterranean Sea, S of Sicily, E of Tunisia, and N
of Libya.
Government
The 1974 constitution provides for a 65-member house of representatives,
elected by universal suffrage, through a system of proportional
representation, for a five-year term. As formal head of state
the president is elected by the house for a five-year term and
appoints a prime minister and cabinet, drawn from and collectively
responsible to the house, which may be dissolved within its five
-year term. A 1987 amendment to the constitution made provision
for any party winning more than 50% of the votes in a general
election to be guaranteed a majority of seats in the house, regardless
of the number of seats actually won.
History
Malta was occupied in turn by Phoenicia, Greece, Carthage, and Rome,
and fell to the Arabs 870. In 1090 the Norman count Roger of Sicily
conquered Malta, and it remained under Sicilian rule until the
16th century, when the Holy Roman emperor Charles V handed it
over to the Knights of St John of Jerusalem 1530. After a Turkish
attack 1565 the knights fortified the island and held it until
1798, when they surrendered to Napoleon. After requesting British
protection, Malta was annexed by Britain 1814 and became a leading
naval base. A vital link in World War II, Malta came under heavy
attack and was awarded the George Cross decoration.
The island was made self-governing 1947, and in 1955 Dom Mintoff,
leader of the Malta Labour Party (MLP), became prime minister.
In 1956 the MLP's proposal for integration with the UK was approved
by a referendum but opposed by the conservative Nationalist Party
(PN), led by Dr Giorgio Borg Olivier. In 1958 Mintoff rejected
the British proposals and resigned, causing a constitutional crisis.
By 1961 both parties favoured independence, and talks began 1962,
when the PN and Borg Olivier won the general election.
Independence
Malta became a fully independent state within the Commonwealth and
under the British crown 1964, having signed a ten-year military
and economic aid treaty with the UK. In 1971 Mintoff and the MLP
returned to power with a policy of international nonalignment.
He declared the 1964 treaty invalid and began to negotiate a new
arrangement for leasing the Maltese NATO base and obtaining the
maximum economic benefit from it for his country.
Republican status agreed
A seven-year agreement was signed 1972. Malta became a republic 1974,
and in the 1976 general election the MLP was returned with a reduced
majority.
It again won a narrow majority in the House of Representatives
1981, even though the Nationalists had a bigger share of the popular
vote. As a result, Nationalist representatives refused to take
their seats for over a year. Relations between the two parties
were also damaged by allegations of progovernment bias in the
broadcasting service. At the end of 1984 Mintoff announced his
retirement, and Dr Mifsud Bonnici succeeded him as MLP leader
and prime minister.
Three years later, in 1987, the Nationalist Party (PN) won the
general election and its leader, Edward Fenech Adami, became prime
minister. Vincent Tabone was elected president 1989. In Oct 1990
Malta formally applied for European Community membership. In the
1992 general election the PN, under Prime Minister Adami, was
returned for another term. Mifsud Bonnici succeeded Vincent Tabone
as president 1994.
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