Although the referendum in 2003 on EU membership gave the Nationalist Party (PN) government a mandate to proceed with ratifying the treaty for accession to the EU in May 2004, the opposition continued to insist that it would take Malta out of the Union if it won the election in 2004, and so the government called an early election, which in April 2003 decisively closed the debate. The PN won the hard-fought contest with 35 of the 65 seats and 51.8 per cent of the votes, a decisive result in a country where the two main parties normally each enjoy the support of about half the electorate. Following the election, the Labour Party (PL) decided to end its opposition to EU membership, thus ending a long and intense period when political activity was focused on one issue. In March 2004, soon after Dr Edward Fenech-Adami’s 70th birthday, Dr Lawrence Gonzi succeeded him as Prime Minister and in April 2004 Fenech-Adami was elected to the presidency. The PN was returned to power in the March 2008 parliamentary elections, winning 35 seats (49.3 per cent of votes) while PL secured the balance of 34 seats (48.8 per cent). Turnout was 93 per cent. In April 2009, at the end of President Fenech-Adami’s fiveyear term, Dr George Abela was unanimously elected President by parliament. On 10 December 2012 the government lost its one-vote majority and was unable to enact its 2013 budget. Parliament was dissolved in January 2013 and an election called. PL won the parliamentary elections of March 2013 and its leader, Dr Joseph Muscat, sworn in as Prime Minister. PL secured 39 seats, with 54.8 per cent of votes cast, and PN, 30 seats with 43.3 per cent. Governance institutions Electoral Commission: www.electoral.gov.mt Parliament of Malta: www.parliament.gov.mt Judiciary: judiciarymalta.gov.mt Ombudsman: www.ombudsman.org.mt Office of the Prime Minister: www.opm.gov.mt Department for Local Government: lc.gov.mt Ministry of Finance: www.mfin.gov.mt Local Councils' Association: www.lca.org.mt Central Bank of Malta: www.centralbankmalta.org Malta Stock Exchange: www.borzamalta.com.mt Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority: www.mccaa.org.mt Financial Services Authority: www.mfsa.com.mt Communications Authority: www.mca.org.mt Transport Malta: www.transport.gov.mt
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