Les référendums à Malte sous une ombre postcoloniale

Since 2003, Malta has held three referendums—on EU membership (2003), divorce (2011), and spring hunting (2015)—which the author argues are shaped by a persistent bipartisan political structure and a conflict between 'eurocentric' liberal values and 'authentic' national identity. The 2003 EU vote saw high participation (nearly 91%) but low support (54%), while the 2011 divorce vote (53.2% 'yes') signaled a decline in the Catholic Church's social influence. The 2015 spring hunting referendum highlighted a clash between environmental conservation and national pride, with the latter used by the government to deflect international scrutiny over corruption and the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia.

• Malta's political landscape is dominated by a bipartisan duopoly consisting of the Labour Party (PL) and the Nationalist Party (PN), both of which utilize clientelist networks to maintain voter loyalty, often leading voters to follow party lines rather than the specific subject of a referendum.
• The 2003 referendum on EU membership was characterized by the highest turnout (nearly 91%) and the lowest support (54%) among the nine voting countries, with the PN arguing for economic benefits and the PL warning against the loss of independence and neutrality.
• The 2011 referendum to legalize divorce passed with 53.2% support, indicating a shift toward a more secular national identity and a weakening of the Catholic Church's influence on social life.
• The 2015 referendum on spring hunting for turtle doves and quails became a symbol of national pride and resistance to foreign pressure, reflecting a divide between an 'eurocentric' urban middle class and an 'authentic' national identity promoted by the PL government.
• The Maltese government uses patriotic rhetoric and claims of foreign interference to maintain voter trust and distract from international scrutiny regarding corruption and the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.

APA

Galea, R. (2021). Les référendums à Malte sous une ombre postcoloniale. Green European Journal. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/referendums-a-malte%e2%80%af-sous-une-ombre-postcoloniale/

Chicago

Galea, Raisa. Les référendums à Malte sous une ombre postcoloniale. Green European Journal, 2021. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/referendums-a-malte%e2%80%af-sous-une-ombre-postcoloniale/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Galea |first1=Raisa |title=Les référendums à Malte sous une ombre postcoloniale |publisher=Green European Journal |date=26 November 2021 |url=https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/referendums-a-malte%e2%80%af-sous-une-ombre-postcoloniale/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{galea2021les, author = {Galea, Raisa}, title = {{Les référendums à Malte sous une ombre postcoloniale}}, institution = {Green European Journal}, year = {2021}, month = nov, url = {https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/referendums-a-malte%e2%80%af-sous-une-ombre-postcoloniale/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }