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
- 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)
- Gozo Party
- Jones Party
- Independent Labour Party
- Integrity Party
- Libertas Malta
- Malta Workers Party
- Maltese Political Union
- National Action
- Progressive Constitutionalist Party
- Brain, not ego