Malta

House of Representatives

Political system
Parliamentary system
Structure of parliament
Unicameral
IPU membership
Yes
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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)
Structure & status of parliament
Lower chamber
Parliamentary term (years)
5

IPU membership

Affiliation periods
from 1988
IPU Geopolitical Group/s
Twelve Plus Group

Speaker

Official title
Speaker of the House of Representatives
Speaker
Angelo Farrugia (Male)
Date of birth: 29 Dec 1955
Term
06 Apr 2013
Additional information

Sworn in on 6 Apr. 2013, re-elected on 24 June 2017 and on 7 May 2022.

Speaker terms

No information available

Secretary general

Official title
Clerk
Secretary General
Eleanor Scerri (Female)
Term
15 Jan 2024
Notes

Appointed on 15 Jan. 2024.

Members

Statutory number of members
65

Notes:

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.

Principal mode of designation of members
Directly elected
Directly elected members
65
Other members
14
Current number of members
79
Men
57
Women
22
Percentage of women
27.8%
Statutory number of members per country
65
Population (in thousands)
533
Inhabitants per parliamentarian
8,200

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
44.8
(2022-05)
Youngest member
Eve Borg Bonello (Female)
Youngest member (years)
18
Oldest member
Anglu Farrugia (Male)
Oldest member (years)
66
Number of members, by age (2022-05)
Breakdown of members by age and gender
18 - 20 21 - 30 31 - 40 41 - 45 46 - 50 51 - 60 61 - 70 71 - 80 81 - 90 91 and over Totals per gender
Male 0 2 14 5 9 16 5 0 0 0 51
Female 1 4 6 4 2 2 0 0 0 0 19
Totals per age interval 1 6 20 9 11 18 5 0 0 0 70
Total <= 45: 36 Total >= 46: 34
Percentage of members, by age
Age at the last election or renewal Overall Male Female
Percentage of MPs 30 years of age or younger
10.0% 2.9% 7.1%
Percentage of MPs 40 years of age or younger
38.6% 23% 15.7%
Percentage of MPs 45 years of age or younger
51.4% 30% 21.4%

Reserved seats and quotas

There are reserved seats in parliament for certain groups
No
Electoral quota for women
Yes

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.

Sources: Act No. XX of 2021 (https://legislation.mt/eli/act/2021/20/eng)

Youth quota
No

Links to additional information

Parliamentary website
List of members
Rules of procedure/Standing Orders
Constitution

Historical data for IPU membership

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Historical data for IPU membership
Year IPU membership
2020-09
List of values for 2020-09
No
2019-04
List of values for 2019-04
No
2018-06
List of values for 2018-06
No