Malta Elections

Elections in Malta:
The Single-Transferable-Vote System in Action, 1921 - 2013

This site is devoted exclusively to information on Maltese elections and to the electoral system which is used in Malta, namely, the single-transferable-vote (STV).

The site contains data, descriptions and analyses as well as links to other relevant sites. The data comprise information on 4,138 candidacies in general elections and 4,125 candidacies in local council elections.

The purpose is to provide a source of materials which are reliable, up-to-date and comprehensive. This is a strictly non-partisan undertaking and has no connection whatsoever with any governmental or political entity in Malta.

Visitors are free to download any of the contents of this site. Copyright permission is only required for commercial use of these materials. In academic settings, the usual expectations of ethical use (like acknowledgement of sources) apply here just as they do for publications of a more traditional kind.

For copyright permission, or to suggest corrections or improvements on this website, please write to psclane @ buffalo.edu.

To access the contents of this site, click on one of the topic headings below

or click * here * to use the site's search engine.

Brief Background Information on Malta and on STV
for those who are not familiar with the country or the STV system

Rules and Structures of STV Elections in Malta
                * Election Law                           * Constitutional Provisions
                * Vote-Counting Mechanics        * Election District Map
                * The Electoral Commission       * Number of Ballot Counts

The Voters
* Registered Voters * Valid and Invalid Votes
* Distribution of Voters Among Districts * Voters' Party Loyalty

The Candidates
                * List of Candidates            * Dual Candidacies
                * Candidates Per Seat       * Incumbents and Newcomers
                * Women Candidates

Voting Results
* Results by Election Districts * Results By Political Party
* Dataset for Statistical Analysis

The Political Parties
                 * List of Parties              * Party Votes, Nationally and By District
                 * Party Parliamentary Seats, Nationally and By District
                 * Votes and Seats of Minor Parties        * Voters' Party Loyalty
                 * Two-Party System in Malta                 * Parties' Electoral Programs

Parliament and Government
                 * Election Dates                                  * Duration of Parliaments
                 * Governing Majorities                         * The "Mandates" of Governments
                 * Professional Groups in Parliament     * Re-Election of Incumbents

Some Problems of STV Elections in Malta
                * Disproportionality in Maltese Elections
                * "Wasted Votes"               * Under-Representation of Women
                * The 1990 Government White Paper on Electoral Reform
                * The 1994 Gonzi Commission Report on Electoral Reform (with Prof. Buhagiar’s Report)
                * Electoral Reform Debate, 1995-96

Referenda
* Wording and Results of Past Referenda * The Referenda Act

European Parliament Elections
* Election Results * Malta’s European Parliament Elections Act

Local Council Elections
                * List of Council Candidates                    * Election Dates
                * Results by Locality                                * Elected Mayors
                * Trends in Local Council Elections         * Careers: From Council to Parliament

Bibliography and Links
A selective bibliography and links to related websites

Sources and Acknowledgments
About the author of this website and his various debts

The Datasets: The Website’s Raw Materials
Complete datasets for those wishing to undertake their own analyses of Maltese election data

... and a few pictures
A handful of informal snapshots from the elections of 1976 and 1996