List of political parties in Malta
This article lists political parties in Malta. Since World War II, Maltese political culture has developed into a two-party system dominated by the centre-left Labour Party (Maltese: Partit Laburista) and the centre-right Nationalist Party (Maltese: Partit Nazzjonalista). Although other political parties have presented candidates and, in some cases, elected MPs, in most cases these were splinter groups of the main parties and, on the rare occasions when they were successful, this success was short-lived.
In the case of Local Councils however, independent candidates and village-dedicated parties have better chances of being elected. Għarb l-Ewwel (en: Għarb First), Floriana l-Ewwel (mt: Floriana First) and AD+PD hold representation in a Local Council.
Until 2015, there was no law in Malta requiring the registration and regulation of political parties; the General Elections Act made the necessary provisions for party participation in elections but no official list was maintained between elections. The Financing of Political Parties Act, which passed in 2015 and came into effect on 1 January 2016, introduced the requirement for political parties to register themselves with the Electoral Commission and declare all donations in order to be able to field candidates in general elections and European Parliament elections.[1] The Labour Party was the first party to attempt to register, on 3 June 2016,[2] however its statute was found to be non-compliant,[3][4] therefore making Moviment Patrijotti Maltin the first party to be officially registered, on 24 November 2016.
Registered Parties
[edit]National parties represented in the Maltese Parliament and the European Parliament
[edit]Name | Founded | Ideology | Political position | Leader | House of Representatives | MEPs | Local Councillors | European party | EP group | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
in Government | |||||||||||
Labour Party (PL) | 1920 | Social democracy | Centre-left | Robert Abela | 44 / 79
|
3 / 6
|
252 / 462
|
PES | S&D | ||
Independents[a] | Various or N/A
|
1 / 79
|
N/A
| ||||||||
in Opposition | |||||||||||
Nationalist Party (PN) | 1926 | Christian democracy | Centre-right | Bernard Grech | 35 / 79
|
3 / 6
|
208 / 462
|
EPP | EPP |
Parties represented in Local Councils
[edit]Name | Founded | Ideology | Political position | Leader | Local Councillors | European party | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
AD+PD | 2020 | Green politics | Centre-left | Sandra Gauci | 2 / 462
|
EGP | ||
Għarb First (GĦ1)[6] Għarb l-Ewwel |
2019 | Għarb localism[7] Parish-Council collaboration |
— | David Apap | Għarb Local Council: 2 / 5
|
— | ||
Floriana First (FL)[8] Floriana l-Ewwel |
2019 | Floriana localism | Nigel Holland | Floriana Local Council: 1 / 5
| ||||
Independents | N/A | Various or N/A
|
6 / 462
|
Various or N/A
|
Unrepresented national parties
[edit]Name | Founded | Ideology | Position | Leader | European party | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ABBA[8] | 2021 | Christian right | Far-right | —
|
ECPM | ||
Imperium Europa (IE) | 2000 | Neo-fascism | Far-right | Norman Lowell | — | ||
People's Party (PP) Partit Popolari |
2020 | Right-wing populism | Right-wing | Paul Salomone | — | ||
Volt Malta (VM) | 2021 | Social liberalism | Centre-Left | Alexia DeBono
Arnas Lasys |
Volt Europa |
Unrepresented local parties
[edit]Name | Founded | Village/Town | Leader | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Residents of Valletta (RB) Residents of Valletta |
2021 | Valletta | Billy McBee |
Inactive, registered political parties
[edit]Source:[9]
Name | Ideology | Position | Leader | European party | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Maltese Patriots Movement Moviment Patrijotti Maltin (MPM) |
Euroscepticism | Far-right | Henry Battistino | — | |
Alleanza Bidla Alliance for Change (AB)[b] |
Social conservatism | Right-wing | Ivan Grech Mintoff | ECPM | |
Brain, not ego (BNE)[10] | Catch-all party | Big-tent | Antoine Borg | —
|
Defunct and/or deregistered parties
[edit]- Alleanza Nazzjonali Repubblikana
- Alliance of Liberal Democrats Malta
- Alpha Liberal Democratic Party
- Anti-Reform Party
- Christian Workers' Party (active during 1960's Church/PL conflict)
- Constitutional Party
- Democratic Alternative
- Democratic Action Party
- Democratic Nationalist Party (1921–26)
- Democratic Nationalist Party (1959–66)
- Democratic Party (1987)
- Democratic Party (2016–20)
- Eagle Party (Partit tal-Ajkla)[11]
- Gozo Party
- Jones Party
- Independent Labour Party
- Integrity Party
- Libertas Malta
- Malta Workers Party
- Maltese Political Union
- National Action
- Communist Party of Malta
- Progressive Constitutionalist Party
Diagram
[edit]See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Rosianne Cutajar[5]
- ^ Alleanza Bidla has been de-facto succeeded by another party, ABBA, also initially led by Grech Mintoff.
- ^ "Party Financing Law will come into effect in January 2016". TVM News. 15 July 2015. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
- ^ "Party financing: PL registers itself with Electoral Commission". Times of Malta. Allied Newspapers. 3 June 2016. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
- ^ "Labour's statute not in line with new party financing law". Times of Malta. Retrieved 2021-11-07.
- ^ "Labour finally registered as political party". Times of Malta. Retrieved 2021-11-07.
- ^ "Rosianne Cutajar resigns from Labour's parliamentary group". Times of Malta. Allied Newspapers Ltd. 3 April 2023. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
- ^ "'Għarb First' – Former Councillor Comes Back To Haunt PN; Sliema Is Set To Retain Its PN Majority". Lovin Malta. 2019-05-30. Retrieved 2021-11-19.
- ^ GĦARB L-EWWEL – STATUT https://electoral.gov.mt/Media/Default/Documents/PartyStatutes/G%C4%A7arb_L-Ewwel.pdf
- ^ a b Sansone, Kurt. "From Floriana l-Ewwel to ABBA, Malta has 12 registered political parties". MaltaToday. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
- ^ "Electoral Commission of Malta Financing of Political Parties". electoral.gov.mt. Retrieved 2024-12-24.
- ^ "New independent political party for EP elections: 'Brain, not ego'". www.independent.com.mt. Retrieved 2021-11-19.
- ^ "Election Summary 2013". Electoral Commission Malta. Electoral Commission of Malta. Retrieved 19 March 2022.