Partit Laburista
Malta Labour Party
Leader	Joseph Muscat
Founded	1920 refounded 1949
Headquarters	Ċentru Nazzjonali Laburista Triq Mile End Hamrun
Political Ideology	Democratic socialism, Social Democracy
International Affiliation	Socialist International
European Affiliation	Party of European Socialists
European Parliament Group	PES
Colours	Red and Red-violet
Website	www.mlp.org.mt
See also	Politics of Malta Political parties Elections

The Malta Labour Party (MLP, Maltese: Partit Laburista) is one of two major contemporary political parties in Malta, along with the Nationalist Party. Joseph Muscat (born January 22 1974 is Maltese politician leader of the Malta Labour Party and He is currently Leader of the Opposition in the Year 1920 ( MCMXX) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display 1920 of the Gregorian calendar Year 1949 ( MCMXLIX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Hamrun ( Maltese: Ħamrun) is a town in the Inner Harbour Region of Malta, with a population of 9513 people (Nov 2005 Democratic socialism is a description used by various socialist movements tendencies and organizations to emphasize the democratic character of their political orientation Social democracy is a Political ideology of the left and centre-left Socialist International is a worldwide organization of socialist ( social democratic and labour) political parties The Party of European Socialists (PES is a European political party comprising of thirty-three socialist, social democratic and labour The Party of European Socialists (PES is a European political party comprising of thirty-three socialist, social democratic and labour Red is any of a number of similar Colors evoked by light consisting predominantly of the longest wavelengths of Light discernible by the human eye in the wavelength Red-violet is the name that depending on the context applies to one or another type of non-spectral purple color. The politics of Malta take place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic Republic, whereby the President of Malta is the Political parties in Malta lists political parties in Malta. Since World War II Maltese political culture has developed into a Two-party system Malta elects on a national level the executive -(in essence the political party the leader of which becomes Prime Minister responsible for appointing the Ministers from among elected Members Maltese (Maltese Malti is the National language of Malta, and a co-official language of the country alongside English, Malta, officially the Republic of Malta (Repubblika ta' Malta is a European Microstate, comprising an Archipelago of three islands History In its early years the party was divided between abstentionists and anti-abstentionists It is currently the main party of opposition in Malta having thirty-four of the sixty-nine seats in the Maltese House of Representatives^[1]. The Parliament of Malta, the House of Representatives ( Il-Kamra tar-Rappreżentanti) currently has 69 members elected for a five year term

Contents 1 History 1.1 Foundation (1949-1962) 1.2 The Mintoff Era (1962-1984) 1.3 1984-1992 1.4 1992-2008 1.5 2008-present 2 Media 3 Past and Current Leaders 4 See also 5 References 6 External links

History

Foundation (1949-1962)

The Malta Labour Party was founded in 1949 as a successor to the Labour Party founded in 1921. Year 1949 ( MCMXLIX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1921 ( MCMXXI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1921 calendar of the Gregorian calendar Dr Paul Boffa, Leader of the Labour Party and Prime Minister since 1947, resigned and left the party because of serious disagreements with his Deputy Dominic Mintoff which had led to a series of cabinet crises. Sir Paul Boffa (born 30 June 1890, Vittoriosa – died 6 July 1962, Paola) was a Maltese prime minister Year 1947 ( MCMXLVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Dom Mintoff (born Dominic Mintoff, Maltese Duminku Mintoff; August 6, 1916) was the leader of the Malta Labour Party from 1949 Boffa formed the Malta Workers Party (MWP) while Mintoff re-organized the Labour Party as the present-day Malta Labour Party.

The MLP contested its first elections for the Malta Legislative Assembly the following year. The old Labour vote was split equally between the MLP and the MWP, giving them eleven members each. This allowed the Nationalist Party (PN) to have a slight edge in the formation of a government, which it did in coalition with the MWP. History In its early years the party was divided between abstentionists and anti-abstentionists The government did not last long. Two other elections were held in 1951 and 1953 (the last time a coalition governed in Malta) which both saw short-lived PN-MWP coalitions and the decline in the share of votes to the MWP with increasing support for the MLP.

The MWP eventually disintegrated and the MLP formed a government for the first time in 1955. Year 1955 ( MCMLV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar) This legislature was dominated by the issue of integration with the United Kingdom. A legislature is a type of representative Deliberative assembly with the power to create amend and change Laws The law created by a legislature is called Legislation The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The party, which started its life as an anti-colonial party with the slogan "Integration or self-determination" was now inclined towards the first part of the formula. A referendum was held in 1958 but given the number of abstensions and massive opposition by the Nationalist Party and the Catholic Church, the result was inconclusive. A referendum (plural referendums or referenda) ballot question, or plebiscite (from Latin plebiscita This, together with a number of dismissals at the naval dockyard led to Mintoff's resignation and his call for massive protests in April 1958.

The Mintoff Era (1962-1984)

The Governor re-established direct colonial government which lasted until 1962. Year 1962 ( MCMLXII) was a Common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. In the meantime, the MLP's connections with Third World Independentist and Socialist movements, set it on a collision course with the Maltese Catholic Church, which the Party perceived as pro-British and the cause of failure of the Integration project. Third World is a name given to nations that are generally considered to be underdeveloped economically Socialism refers to a broad set of economic theories of social organization advocating state or collective ownership and administration of the Means of production and distribution This led to the party leadership being interdicted from 1961 to 1964, when reading, advertising and distributing Party newspapers was deemed a mortal sin. In the Roman Catholic Church, the word interdict (in’tér-dikt usually refers to an Ecclesiastical penalty Year 1961 ( MCMLXI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1964 ( MCMLXIV) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the 1964 Gregorian calendar. Mortal sin, according to the beliefs of Roman Catholicism, and some Protestant denominations is a Sin that unless confessed and absolved (or at least In the 1962 elections this led to the defeat of the Party at the polls as well as a split with the creation of the Christian Workers' Party. Peace with the Church would not be made until 1969 by which time the Christian Workers' Party had disintegrated.

The Malta Labour Party participated in independence talks but disagreed with what was offered, causing them to not participate in the Independence celebrations when independence was actually achieved in 1964. Independence is the Self-government of a Nation, Country, or State by its residents and population or some portion thereof generally exercising Year 1964 ( MCMLXIV) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the 1964 Gregorian calendar. The party made strong gains in the 1966 elections which, however, were not enough to see it in office. Summary of the March 28 1966 House of Representatives of Malta election results |-!style="background-color#E9E9E9" align=left valign=top|Parties!style="background-color#E9E9E9"

An unimportant split occurred in 1969 when the Communist Party of Malta was founded. Communist Party of Malta (Partit Komunista Malti is a Communist Political party in Malta. This split happened as a result of the truce between the Malta Labour Party and local Catholic authorities. The Communist Party has since only contested the 1987 elections.

The Malta Labour Party won the 1971 general election and immediately set out to re-negotiate the post-Independence military and financial agreements with the United Kingdom. A military is an Organization authorized by its Nation to use force usually including use of Weapons in defending its Country (or by attacking The party also undertook massive nationalization programmes whilst setting up various State owned companies and investments and expansion of the welfare state introducing several benefits to workers and families and further introducing acts of parliament aimed at employee rights and trade union rights. Nationalization, also spelled nationalisation, is the act of taking an industry or assets into the Public ownership of a national government This article refers specifically to the Welfare state of the United Kingdom. A trade union or labour union is an organization of workers who have banded together to achieve common goals in key areas such as wages hours and working conditions forming Malta became a republic in 1974. A republic is a State or Country that is not led by a hereditary Monarch, but in which the people (or at least a part of its people have impact on its Year 1974 ( MCMLXXIV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. The MLP won the 1976 elections. Results Summary of the September 18 1976 House of Representatives of Malta election results |-!style="background-color#E9E9E9" Amongst other things, homosexual relationships and adultery were decriminalised and the Government managed to secularise the State introducing civil marriages and modernising Maltese civil law. A law that gave males and females a right to the same wage for the same work done was also enacted amongst employment laws enacted at the time.

In 1981 the Party managed to hold on to a parliamentary majority even though the opposition Nationalist Party managed an absolute majority of ballots. A serious political crisis ensued when Nationalists MPs refused to take their seats for the first years of the legislature. A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a Parliament. Premier Mintoff called this result a "perverse" one. He had proposed that fresh elections had to be held, but members of his Parliamentary group rejected this proposal. Mintoff resigned as Prime Minister and Party leader in 1984 (although he retained his parliamentary seat) making way for his appointee Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici. Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici (also known as Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici) (born 17 July 1933) was the Prime Minister of Malta from 1984 to 1987

1984-1992

In 1984 the relations between the Maltese church and the labour party were very bad. The party agreed to constitutional amendments in 1987, which guaranteed that the party with a majority of vote was given a majority of seats. Thanks to the amendment the Nationalists returned to Government after 16 years. The party lost governmant after 3 consecutive elections in 1987.

The MLP performed badly in 1992, losing the election with nearly 13,000 votes and Mifsud Bonnici resigned. Year 1992 ( MCMXCII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar) Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici (also known as Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici) (born 17 July 1933) was the Prime Minister of Malta from 1984 to 1987 On the 26th of March 1992 he was succeeded by Dr Alfred Sant. Alfred Sant (born February 28, 1948) is a Maltese politician He was the leader of the Malta Labour Party from 1992 to 2008 and served

1992-2008

Dr. Sant who won the election for party leader, and then modernized the party, secured a victory at the polls in 1996. The election using Single transferable vote gave a majority of the 65 district seats to the PN despite a majority of votes going to the MLP so the MLP were given four bonus seats Under Sant's leadership the party made several changes. The party opened the new Malta Labour Party Headquarters in Hamrun instead of the old Macina in Cottonera. The party also made giant steps in the media by being the first Maltese political party to own his radio and television stations.

Dr. Sant managed to win the 1996 elections held on the 26th of October, by winning the election with more than 7,500 votes on the Nationalist Party. But, the party managed to get only one seat in parliament more than the opposition.

However, trouble was brewing. Mr Mintoff started creating problems in Parliament where the government had only a single seat majority. Things came to a head in summer of 1998 when the government lost a vote on the lease of the Cottonera waterfront. Year 1998 ( MCMXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar) The Three Cities is a collective description of the three fortified cities of Cospicua, Vittoriosa, and Senglea on the Island of Malta, which On the 9th June 1996, Sant called early elections to be held on the 5th September, and was defeated.

Back in opposition, the party campaigned unsuccessfully against EU membership, and the 'NO' camp lost the referendum for the accesion of Malta in the European Union on the 8th March and was again defeated in the general elections a month on, on the 12th April 2003. The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in Sant resigned but stood again for election of Leadership of the Party where he was voted again as leader with more than 65% of the vote.

In June 2004 the party succeeded in obtaining a relative majority of votes in the elections held to elect the first five Maltese MEPs for the European Parliament^[2]. The European Parliament ( Europarl or EP) is the only directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union (EU The party elected 3 of his candidates: Joseph Muscat, John Attard Montalto and Louis Grech. Joseph Muscat (born January 22 1974 is Maltese politician leader of the Malta Labour Party and He is currently Leader of the Opposition in the John Attard Montalto (b 7 February 1953 in Sliema) is a Maltese politician and Member of the European Parliament. Louis Grech (born 22 March 1947 in Hamrun) is a Maltese politician and Member of the European Parliament.

2008-present

In 2008 the Malta Labour Party lost for the third consecutive time in the 2008 general elections, obtaining 48. The latest Maltese general election for the renewal of the Parliament of Malta was held on March 8 2008 79% share of the vote^[3] and losing the election to the Nationalist Party by just 1,580 votes or 0. History In its early years the party was divided between abstentionists and anti-abstentionists 5%. Following the loss of the election, Sant resigned as MLP leader on 10th March 2008.

The first round of the election of the new leader were held on 5 June 2008. Events 70 - Titus and his Roman Legions breach the middle wall of Jerusalem in the Siege of Jerusalem 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Five members contested this election as candidates: George Abela (a former Deputy Leader), Evarist Bartolo (a frontbench MP and ex-Minister), Marie Louise Coleiro Preca (a frontbench MP and former Secretary-General of the Party), Michael Falzon (an MP and Deputy Leader of the Party) and Joseph Muscat (an MEP). George Abela is a Maltese politician born in Qormi on April 22, 1948. Evarist Bartolo is a Maltese politician within the Malta Labour Party. Marie Louise Coleiro Preca, born in 1958 at Qormi, Malta, is a Maltese politician and an MP with the Malta Labour Party. Michael Falzon (born on 16 November 1961 in Sliema Malta) is a Member of the Maltese Parliament of the Malta Labour Party Joseph Muscat (born January 22 1974 is Maltese politician leader of the Malta Labour Party and He is currently Leader of the Opposition in the In the first round neither candidate obtained 50%+1 the majority of the votes. So a run up election had to be held on the 6th June between the top two candidates who obtained the most number of votes, Dr. George Abela and Dr. George Abela is a Maltese politician born in Qormi on April 22, 1948. Joseph Muscat. Joseph Muscat (born January 22 1974 is Maltese politician leader of the Malta Labour Party and He is currently Leader of the Opposition in the Dr Joseph Muscat was elected MLP leader, gathering 67% of the total votes.

Media

The Party owns a television station that broadcasts at a national level, One Television, and a radio station that also broadcasts on a national scale, One Radio. ONE Television (On Europe Television was a Swedish television channel which broadcasts TV shows such as The Bill, Murder Investigation Team and The Party issues the Sunday weekly KullĦadd and also runs the on-line newspaper maltastar. com.

Past and Current Leaders

• • 1920-1928 Dr William Savona
  • 1928-1949 Dr Paul Boffa (Prime Minister: 1947-1950)
• Leaders since 1949 (Refounded)
  • 1949-1984 Perit Dom Mintoff (Prime Minister: 1955-1958, 1971-1984)
  • 1984-1992 Dr Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici (Prime Minister: 1984-1987)
  • 1992-2008 Dr Alfred Sant (Prime Minister: 1996-1998)
  • 2008- Dr Joseph Muscat

		Portrait	Entered office	Left office	Length of Leadership	Date of Birth and Death
1	William Savona		1920	1928	8 years	12 March 1865 - 18 January 1937
2	Paul Boffa		1928	1949	21 years	30 June 1890 - 6 July 1962
3	Dom Mintoff		1949	1984	35 years	6 August 1916 - present
4	Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici		1984	1992	8 years	17 July 1933 - present
5	Alfred Sant		26 March 1992	10 March 2008	15 years, 11 months, 15 days	28 February 1948 - present
6	Joseph Muscat		06 June 2008	Present		22 January 1974 - present

See also

• Paul Boffa
• Alfred Sant
• Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici
• Interdict (Roman Catholic Church)

References

External links

• Malta Labour Party
• Super 1 Radio and TV
• Maltastar.com Online Newspaper
• It-Torca
• L-Orizzont
• KullHadd
• Labour Youth Forum

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