Malta: Referendums under a postcolonial shadow

Since 2003, Malta has held three referendums on EU membership, divorce, and spring hunting, all of which highlighted a socio-political divide between those seeking alignment with European liberal democracies and those emphasizing national sovereignty and tradition. The author argues that Malta's bipartisan political landscape, characterized by the Labour Party (PL) and the Nationalist Party (PN), often leads voters to align with party stances rather than the specific issues. The 2003 EU membership vote saw a 54% approval rate, the lowest among nine participating countries. The 2011 divorce referendum, passed with 53.2% support, signaled a decline in the Catholic Church's influence. The 2015 spring hunting referendum became a proxy for national pride, with supporters of the practice viewing it as a mark of authenticity against foreign pressure.

• Malta's political environment is dominated by a bipartisan duopoly consisting of the Labour Party (PL) and the Nationalist Party (PN), both of which utilize clientelistic networks and economic liberalism, often resulting in voters following party lines rather than the specific subject of a referendum.
• The 2003 referendum on EU membership was characterized by the lowest support for joining among the nine countries that voted on accession that year, with only 54 per cent in favour, despite a high turnout of nearly 91 per cent.
• The 2011 referendum to legalise divorce passed with 53.2 per cent of the vote, indicating a shift toward a more secular national identity and a reduction in the social influence of the Catholic Church.
• The 2015 referendum on spring hunting of turtle dove and quail served as a clash between 'Eurocentric' values, which sought alignment with EU integration, and an 'authentic' national identity that viewed the practice as a matter of national pride.

APA

Galea, R. (2021). Malta: Referendums under a postcolonial shadow. Green European Journal. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/malta-referendums-under-a-postcolonial-shadow/

Chicago

Galea, Raisa. Malta: Referendums under a postcolonial shadow. Green European Journal, 2021. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/malta-referendums-under-a-postcolonial-shadow/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Galea |first1=Raisa |title=Malta: Referendums under a postcolonial shadow |publisher=Green European Journal |date=26 May 2021 |url=https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/malta-referendums-under-a-postcolonial-shadow/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{galea2021malta, author = {Galea, Raisa}, title = {{Malta: Referendums under a postcolonial shadow}}, institution = {Green European Journal}, year = {2021}, month = may, url = {https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/malta-referendums-under-a-postcolonial-shadow/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }