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. For example, Għarb l-Ewwel (en: Għarb First) is the only party of this kind to hold representation in a Local Council. There is a total of two elected independent councillors around Malta and Gozo, activist Steve Zammit Lupi in Ħaż-Żebbuġ (Malta) and Nicky Saliba in Żebbuġ (Gozo). For Żebbuġ, Gozo, former PN Mayor Nicky Saliba ran in 2019 as an independent candidate and was elected, causing a deadlock for the mayorship in the 5-seat Żebbuġ council. He was re-elected mayor all the same and remains in this post to this day.

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. The Labour Party was the first party to attempt to register, on 3 June 2016, however its statute was not compliant, therefore making Moviment Patrijotti Maltin the first party to be officially registered, on 24 November 2016. The Labour Party was finally registered on 22 April 2017.

Registered Parties

National parties represented in the Maltese Parliament, the European Parliament, Local Councils and hamlet Administrative Committees

Name Founded Ideology Political position Leader House of Representatives MEPs Local Councillors Europarty EP group
in Government
Labour Party (PL) 1920 Social democracy Centre-left Robert Abela
44 / 79
4 / 6
267 / 462
PES S&D
Independents
Various or N/A
1 / 79
N/A
in Opposition
Nationalist Party (PN) 1926 Christian democracy Centre-right Bernard Grech
35 / 79
2 / 6
190 / 462
EPP EPP

Local parties represented in Local Councils

Name Founded Ideology Political position Leader Local Councillors
Għarb First (GĦ1)
Għarb l-Ewwel
2019 Għarb localism
Parish-Council collaboration
David Apap Għarb Local Council:
2 / 5
Independents N/A
Various or N/A
3 / 462

Unrepresented national parties

Name Founded Ideology Position Leader Europarty
ABBA 2021 Christian right Far-right Ivan Grech Mintoff ECPM
AD+PD 2020 Green politics Centre-left Sandra Gauci EGP
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 Alexia DeBono

Arnas Lasys

Volt Europa

Unrepresented local parties

Name Founded Village/Town Leader
Floriana First (FL)
Floriana l-Ewwel
2019 Floriana Nigel Holland
Residents of Valletta (RB)
Residents of Valletta
2021 Valletta Billy McBee

Inactive, registered political parties

Name Ideology Position Leader Europarty
Maltese Patriots Movement
Moviment Patrijotti Maltin (MPM)
Euroscepticism Far-right Henry Battistino
Communist Party of Malta
Partit Komunista ta' Malta (PKM)
Marxism–Leninism Far-left Victor Degiovanni Initiative
Alleanza Bidla
Alliance for Change (AB)
Social conservatism Right-wing Ivan Grech Mintoff ECPM

Defunct parties

Diagram

See also