iMalta.com

Malta is a Democratic Republic, and a full member of the European Union. Malta has a President as a ceremonial head of state and a prime minister elected every 5 years by a nationwide election. Malta gained independence from British rule in 1964, after being a British colony since 1799, after the Napoleonic French were ousted out of the island by the Maltese with the help of the British fleet under the command of Horatio Nelson. The Maltese islands received independence from Britain on 21 September 1964. Until 1979 Malta was a Constitutional Monarchy, with a Governor-General ruling the state in the name of Queen Elzabeth II. This changed in 1979 when Malta became a republic and a president was elected to act as Head of State.

The head of the state is a parliament-elected president. However, the powers of the president are largely ceremonial, with the real political power being in the hands of the Prime Minister and the Parliament. Guido de Marco has served as President from 1999 till 2004, after serving as vice-prime minister for several years and also serving as the president of the United Nations for a full term of office. The Current President is Dr Eddie Fenech Adami (2004-), who was elected president after serving the country as prime minister since 1998.

The government is elected democratically every five years. The current Prime Minister is Lawrence Gonzi, who was elected after Edward Fenech Adami retired from leadership in 2004. The only other major political party is the Labour Party, under the leadership of Alfred Sant. A relatively much smaller poitical party is the Alternattiva Demokratika, equivalent to the Green Party in several European nations. Indeed, one of its founding members is presently the leader of the European Greens.

The democratically-elected Parliament consists of 69 members. Members are elected by public popular vote, on the basis of proportional representation, to serve a term of five years. People over the age of 18 years can register to vote.