Malta has been inhabited since 5900 BC. The first inhabitants were farmers;their agricultural methods degraded the soil until the islands became uninhabitable. The islands were repopulated around 3850 BC by a civilization that at its peak built the Megalithic Temples,which today are among the oldest surviving buildings in the world. Their civilization collapsed in around 2350 BC;the islands were repopulated by Bronze Age warriors soon afterwards.
The Nationalist Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in Malta,along with the Labour Party.
Edoardo "Eddie" Fenech Adami is a Maltese politician and Nationalist politician who served as the prime minister of Malta from 1987 until 1996,and again from 1998 until 2004. Subsequently,he was the seventh president of Malta from 2004 to 2009. He led his party to win four general elections,in 1987,1992,1998 and 2003,as well as the majority of votes in 1981. Staunchly pro-European,Fenech Adami was fundamental for Malta's accession to the European Union.
The Labour Party,formerly known as the Malta Labour Party,is one of the two major political parties in Malta,along with the Nationalist Party. It sits on the centre-left of the political spectrum.
Lawrence Gonzi is a Maltese politician,retired Nationalist politician and lawyer,who served for twenty-five years in various critical roles in Maltese politics. Gonzi was Prime Minister of Malta from 2004 to 2013,and leader of the Nationalist Party. He also served as speaker of the House from 1988 to 1996,and Minister of Social Policy from 1998 to 2004,as well as deputy prime minister from 1999 to 2004. He served in practically all positions in Parliament,being also Leader of the House,an MP and Leader of the Opposition.
Joseph Borg is a Maltese politician and diplomat. Prior to taking up the post of Commissioner for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs,he was Minister of Foreign Affairs and led Malta's EU-accession negotiations.
John Dalli is a Maltese former politician who served as Cabinet Minister in various Maltese governments between 1987 and 2010. He was European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy between 2010 and 2012.
Joseph Muscat is a Maltese politician who served as the 13th prime minister of Malta from 2013 to 2020 and leader of the Labour Party from 2008 to 2020.
Lesbian,gay,bisexual,transgender,and queer (LGBTQ) rights in Malta rank among the highest in the world. Throughout the late 20th and early 21st centuries,the rights of the LGBTQ community received more awareness and same-sex sexual activity was legalized on 29 January 1973. The prohibition was already dormant by the 1890s.
Harry Vassallo was the Chairperson of the Maltese Green political party,Democratic Alternative from 1998 till 2008. He was succeeded by Prof. Arnold Cassola.
General elections were held in Malta on 26 October 1996. Although the Malta Labour Party received the most votes,the Nationalist Party won the most seats. However,the Labour Party was awarded an additional four seats to ensure they had a majority in Parliament.
Abortion in Malta is illegal except in cases where the life of the pregnant woman is at risk. Until 2023,it was illegal without exception. Malta has the most restrictive laws regarding abortion in Europe with the law in Malta held to be influenced by Roman Catholic Christianity,which formed part of the identity of 82% of the population according to the 2021 census.
Roberta Metsola is a Maltese politician who has served as the president of the European Parliament since January 2022. She is a member of Malta's Nationalist Party (PN) and the European People's Party (EPP).
Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici,was a Maltese politician who served as Prime Minister of Malta from December 1984 to May 1987.
Helena Dalli is a Maltese politician serving as European Commissioner for Equality since 1 December 2019. She is a member of the Labour Party.
Cyrus Engerer is a former Maltese Member of European Parliament representing the Labour Party. A gay rights activist,he was a spokesperson for the Yes campaign at the 2011 Maltese divorce referendum. In 2021 he was tasked with negotiating the European Parliaments historic resolution on the declaration of the European Union as an LGBTQ Freedom zone,in reaction to the establishment of so called "LGBT-Free zones" in Poland. Engerer later went on to write the European Parliaments resolution which condemned the laws in Hungary which effectively banned "LGBT propaganda" in the vicinity of schools. From 2014 till 2019 Engerer was the Prime Minister's special envoy to the European Union. He was elected as a Member of the European Parliament in November 2020. After he joined the Labour Party the Police of Malta opened an investigation against him,leading to his father's arrest,the opening of a court case against him on spreading pornography and the arrest of his mother on election day. He himself was convicted for spreading revenge porn and received a suspended two years term imprisonment. He is the partner of Partit Laburista's Member of Parliament Randolph De Battista.
Karmenu Vella is a Maltese politician and former member of the European Commission,in charge of Environment,Maritime Affairs and Fisheries between 2014 and 2019. He has been one of the longest serving Maltese Parliamentarian with the Maltese Labour Party. He was appointed Companion of the National Order of Merit of Malta in 2019.
Miriam Dalli is a Maltese politician of the Labour Party and former journalist who has been serving as a member of the Parliament of Malta since 2020. She was previously a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from 2014 until 2020.
The 2019 European Parliament election was held in Malta on 25 May 2019. 8 different political parties took part in the election,of which,only 2 won seats in the European Parliament;the Labour Party and the Nationalist Party,with 4 and 2 seats respectively.
Anton Tabone is a Maltese politician. Appointed the first Minister for Gozo Affairs in 1987 he was re-appointed in the same portfolio in 1992,a post he held up to 1996. Between 1998 and 2008 he served as Speaker of the House of Representatives.
