Malta’s Recent History

Array

In 1798, French army officer Napoleon Bonaparte (later Napoleon I) seized the island, but the French occupation was brief. By mid-1800, British troops, summoned to aid the Maltese, had arrived. The French resisted for three months before surrendering the island to the British. The Treaty of Amiens in 1802 returned the island to the Knights. However, the Maltese protested and recognized British sovereignty, with specific conditions outlined in a Declaration of Rights. This constitutional change was confirmed by the Treaties of Paris in 1814–15.

Britain rejected Maltese demands for local autonomy, but these demands persisted. Malta’s political status under British rule experienced numerous changes, with constitutions being repeatedly granted, suspended, and revoked. The British exploitation of Malta’s military facilities played a central role in the local economy, with the dockyard becoming the colony’s economic backbone.

The island prospered during the Crimean War (1853–56) and benefited from the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869. In 1921, self-government was introduced on a dyarchical basis, allowing Britain to control foreign and military affairs while a new Maltese legislature managed local issues. This arrangement was revoked in 1933 due to Maltese opposition to replacing Italian with English as the official language. Consequently, Malta returned to a strict colonial regime under the governor’s authority. During World War II (1939–45), the island endured heavy and sustained bombing by the Axis Powers but did not surrender. The Maltese people’s bravery was honored with the George Cross, Britain’s highest civilian award. Self-government was reinstated in 1947, revoked in 1959, and restored in 1962. Malta gained independence on September 21, 1964, joining the Commonwealth and later the Council of Europe. On December 13, 1974, Malta became a republic.

The period immediately before and after independence saw increasing polarization between Malta’s two main political parties. From 1962 to 1971, the Nationalist Party (Partit Nazzjonalista; PN) governed, strongly aligning Malta with the West. However, in 1971, the Malta Labour Party (Partit Laburista; MLP) took power, adopting a nonaligned stance and vigorously asserting Malta’s sovereignty. The MLP established close ties with China and Libya and secured an agreement for the complete withdrawal of British forces from Malta by 1979. The Maltese government celebrated the closure of the British base as the achievement of “real” independence.

The Nationalist Party (PN) returned to power in 1987 and aimed for full membership in the European Economic Community (later the European Union [EU]). However, when the Malta Labour Party (MLP) took control in 1996, it halted Malta’s EU membership application. The MLP’s tenure was brief, as Prime Minister Alfred Sant called for early elections in 1998, having lost support within his party. The PN regained power in 1998, reactivated the EU accession application, and implemented significant social and economic reforms to achieve this goal. Despite political disputes between the PN and MLP, Maltese voters chose to join the EU in a 2003 referendum, and Malta became a member on May 1, 2004. Malta adopted the euro on January 1, 2008. The PN won the 2008 general elections, narrowly defeating the MLP.

In May 2011, Maltese voters approved a referendum recommending the legalization of divorce. Until that point, Malta had been the only EU country and one of the few countries worldwide without a divorce law. The parliament passed legislation allowing divorce in June, and it came into effect in October. In 2013, the Labour Party (formerly the Malta Labour Party, renamed in 2008) regained power with a substantial majority, largely continuing the policies of the Nationalist Party (PN). However, the Labour Party adopted a more progressive stance on social issues, passing a bill in 2014 to legalize civil unions for same-sex couples, despite strong opposition from the Roman Catholic Church.

In 2016, the Panama Papers leak exposed that two of Prime Minister Joseph Muscat’s cabinet ministers, including his chief of staff, owned offshore companies in Panama. The following year, journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia alleged that Muscat’s wife also owned an offshore company. Amid the ensuing controversy and calls for his resignation, Muscat called for snap elections in 2017. He campaigned on a strong economy, highlighting low unemployment, rapid GDP growth, and a budget surplus, while promising additional economic benefits and civil liberties. In the June elections, Muscat was re-elected as Prime Minister, with the Labour Party securing an absolute majority in parliament.

Months later, Caruana Galizia was murdered, prompting an investigation. In November 2019, police arrested and questioned Yorgen Fenech, a businessman close to Muscat’s chief of staff, in connection with the murder. Muscat’s chief of staff was also interrogated. Protesters called for Muscat’s resignation, and on November 30, he announced he would step down once a new Labour Party leader was chosen. On January 12, 2020, Robert Abela, the son of a former president, was elected party leader and became prime minister the next day. Under Abela, Labour introduced some government reforms, but the focus remained on addressing the health and economic challenges of the global COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, the Labour Party won another majority in parliament by a significant margin.

Source : Britannica.com