ABSTRACT
This chapter presents Malta profiles of longstanding democracies and of the European Union, and provides essential detail on History, Electoral system, Political parties and cleavages, and Governments. At the crossroads of the Mediterranean, Malta was subjected to frequent invasions and occupations until it fell under British control. Malta became independent from Britain in 1964, and a republic within the British Commonwealth in 1974. Malta uses a single transferable vote system in which the country is divided into 13 constituencies, each with five seats. Maltese governments have always been single-party ones, either of Labour or the Nationalist Party. They form quickly, and normally last a full term in office. Maltese elections are marked by intense partisanship and extremely high voting turnout absent compulsory voting. The former party leader and prime minister Dom Mintoff broke ranks in 1997 over the economic austerity measures of the government and voted against it, leading to an early election in 1998 which Labour lost.
