Malta’s Political scene: A Shifting Tide of Women Candidates

As the sun set over the Grandmaster’s Palace in Valletta last week, the political scene of Malta was undergoing a significant shift. The preliminary results of the Nationalist Party’s (PN) leadership election had just been announced, and with them, a clear trend emerged: the rise of women candidates.

PN Numbers Fall, PL Almost Doubles Its Tally

The PN, which has traditionally been dominated by male candidates, saw a decrease in the number of women contesting leadership. Out of the 17 candidates who submitted their nomination papers, only 3 were women. This is a stark contrast to the Labour Party (PL), which saw an almost doubling of its female candidate tally. The PL had 14 women candidates out of a total of 30.

This shift is not just reflected in the leadership elections but also in the local councils and parliamentary elections. In the 2019 local council elections, the PL had 46% female candidates, while the PN had 32%. The trend is expected to continue in the upcoming parliamentary elections.

Breaking Barriers: Women in Maltese Politics

Malta has made significant strides in gender equality, ranking 12th in the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2020. However, politics remains a male-dominated field. The 2017 parliamentary elections saw only 18% of MPs being women, a figure that has been steadily increasing but still lags behind other sectors.

Dr. Marie Louise Coleiro Preca, Malta’s first female President, believes that the increase in women candidates is a positive step. “It’s about time we see more women in politics. They bring a different perspective to the table, one that is often overlooked,” she said during a recent interview.

Local Initiatives Driving Change

Organisations like the Network of Women in Politics (NWIP) and the Women’s Rights Foundation (WRF) are at the forefront of driving this change. NWIP, based in Msida, has been actively promoting women’s participation in politics since 2016. Their initiatives include mentorship programs and candidate training workshops.

The WRF, located in St. Julian’s, has been advocating for gender equality and women’s rights in politics. Their ’50/50 Campaign’ aims to increase the number of women in political decision-making positions to at least 50% by 2030.

These initiatives, coupled with a growing awareness of the importance of gender balance in politics, are driving the increase in women candidates. However, there are still challenges to overcome, including the ‘glass cliff’ phenomenon, where women are more likely to be appointed to leadership positions in times of crisis or decline.

As Malta looks towards the upcoming parliamentary elections, the question on everyone’s mind is: will the rise in women candidates translate into a more balanced political scene? , but one thing is certain – the tide is shifting, and Malta’s political scene is changing.