Malta
House of Representatives
About parliament
Basic information such as the official name of parliament and details of its structure and leadership. Also includes the current breakdown of MPs by sex and age, and provisions for quotas and reserved seats.
Parliament name
Il-Kamra Tad-Deputati (House of Representatives)
Chamber name
Il-Kamra Tad-Deputati (House of Representatives)
Parliamentary term (years)
5
IPU membership
Affiliation periods
from 1988
IPU Geopolitical Group/s
IPU Geopolitical Groups: African Group, Arab Group, Asia-Pacific Group, Eurasia Group, Group of Latin America and the Caribbean (GRULAC), Twelve Plus Group.
Twelve Plus Group
Speaker
Official title
The Speaker may for example be known as the Presiding Officer, President, Chairman/Chairperson, etc.
Speaker of the House of Representatives
Speaker
Angelo
Farrugia
(Male)
Year of birth
1955
Term
06.04.2013
Additional information
Sworn in on 6 Apr. 2013, re-elected on 24 June 2017 and on 7 May 2022.
Secretary General
Official title
This post is most commonly called Secretary General or Clerk. It may also be called Secretary, Head/Chief of the Secretariat, Director General, etc.
Clerk
Secretary General
Ray
Scicluna
(Male)
Notes
Additional information about the Secretary General, in particular regarding their term.
1 Feb. 2012 -
Members
Statutory number of members
Statutory number of members, as defined in the constitution or other fundamental law.
Principal mode of designation of members
Directly elected
Compare data of this field.
Directly elected members
Directly elected by citizens.
65
Other members
For example, ex-officio members of parliament, such as Cabinet members, members of the royal family, Attorney General, Speaker if appointed from outside parliament.
14
Note on the statutory number of members
Other:
- Two additional members elected to correct the discrepancies between the number of votes and seats obtained by parties in a general election.
- 12 members added through the gender quota mechanism in accordance with Act No. XX of 2021.
The Speaker may be designated from outside parliament and becomes a member of parliament ex officio.
See historical data for this field.
- Two additional members elected to correct the discrepancies between the number of votes and seats obtained by parties in a general election.
- 12 members added through the gender quota mechanism in accordance with Act No. XX of 2021.
The Speaker may be designated from outside parliament and becomes a member of parliament ex officio.
Current number of members
Number of members who currently hold seats in parliament. May be lower or higher than the statutory number of members.
Men
The number of male parliamentarians who currently hold seats in parliament.
Women
The number of female parliamentarians who currently hold seats in parliament.
Percentage of women
Calculated by dividing the current number of women by the current number of members.
Statutory number of members per country
As defined in the constitution or other fundamental laws. Combines the number of parliamentarians in both chambers in bicameral parliaments.
Population (in thousands)
Click for historical data
See historical data for this field.
Age
Data on the age of parliamentarians is collected at the start of the legislature, following the most recent elections. This data is not updated during the legislature, except when parliament notifies the IPU of a change in the youngest or oldest member.
Average age of all members
Age at the time of the last election or renewal.
Youngest member (years)
Age at the time of the last election or renewal.
Youngest member
Eve Borg Bonello (Female)
Oldest member (years)
Age at the time of the last election or renewal.
66
Oldest member
Anglu Farrugia (Male)
Number of members, by age
| 18 - 20 | 21 - 30 | 31 - 40 | 41 - 45 | 46 - 50 | 51 - 60 | 61 - 70 | 71 - 80 | 81 - 90 | 91 and over | Totals per gender | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Totals per age interval | 1 | 6 | 20 | 9 | 11 | 18 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total <= 45: 36 | Total >= 46: 34 | ||||||||||
| Male | 0 | 2 | 14 | 5 | 9 | 16 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 51 |
| Female | 1 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 |
Members for whom data is available
Reserved seats and quotas
There are reserved seats in parliament for certain groups
Reserved seats are a means to ensure the parliamentary representation of certain groups in society.
Electoral quota for women
Quotas to promote the representation of women in parliament.
Notes
- In accordance with the Constitution of Malta and the General Elections (Amendment) Act, 2021 (Act No. XX of 2021, enacted by the President on 20 April 2021), the number of MPs must increase by up to 12 if less than 40 per cent of the MPs that are returned at a given general election and subsequent casual elections* belong to “the underrepresented sex”** as defined in the Act.
- The up to 12 additional seats are filled by unsuccessful candidates belonging to the underrepresented sex who won the highest number of votes at the last election. If there are not enough unsuccessful candidates, the House of Representatives co-opts member(s) to fill any remaining additional seats.
- These measures will remain in force for 20 years from the date on which they come into force, unless they are revoked or re-enacted (with or without modification) by means of an Act of Parliament according to the provisions of the Maltese Constitution.
* Candidates in general elections may contest no more than two districts. If they are elected in both, they must choose one district to represent after the elections. Seats vacated by candidates simultaneously elected in two districts are filled by "casual elections" prior to the first session of the House of Representatives.
** The group includes people who identified as gender neutral in their official documentation.
- The up to 12 additional seats are filled by unsuccessful candidates belonging to the underrepresented sex who won the highest number of votes at the last election. If there are not enough unsuccessful candidates, the House of Representatives co-opts member(s) to fill any remaining additional seats.
- These measures will remain in force for 20 years from the date on which they come into force, unless they are revoked or re-enacted (with or without modification) by means of an Act of Parliament according to the provisions of the Maltese Constitution.
* Candidates in general elections may contest no more than two districts. If they are elected in both, they must choose one district to represent after the elections. Seats vacated by candidates simultaneously elected in two districts are filled by "casual elections" prior to the first session of the House of Representatives.
** The group includes people who identified as gender neutral in their official documentation.
Legal source
Legal text that stipulates the quota, such as the Constitution or electoral law.
Act No. XX of 2021 (https://legislation.mt/eli/act/2021/20/eng)
Electoral quota for youth
Quotas to promote the representation of youth in parliament.
Links to additional information
Parliamentary website
Link(s) to parliamentary web site in English, French and/or local languages.
Rules of procedure/Standing Orders
Link(s) to Rules of procedure on the parliamentary web site in English, French and/or local language.
List of members
Link(s) to list of members on the parliamentary web site.
Constitution
Official links to the Constitution in English, French and/or original language is provided. Links to unofficial translations where no other source is available.