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The Epic Interactive Encyclopedia 1998
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Epic Interactive Encyclopedia, The - 1998 Edition (1998)(Epic Marketing).iso
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Malta
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73 lines
Island in the Mediterranean, S of Sicily, E
of Tunisia, and N of Libya. government The
1974 constitution provides for a
single-chamber legislature, the 65-member
House of Representatives, elected by
universal suffrage, through a system of
proportional representation, for a five-year
term. As formal head of state the president
is elected by the House for a five-year term,
and appoints a prime minister and cabinet,
drawn from and collectively responsible to
the House, which may be dissolved within its
five-year term. A 1987 amendment to the
constitution made provision for any party
winning more than 50% of the votes in a
general election to be guaranteed a majority
of seats in the House of Representatives,
regardless of the number of seats actually
won. history Malta was occupied in turn by
Phoenicia, Greece, Carthage, and Rome, and
fell to the Arabs 870. In 1090 the Norman
Count Roger of Sicily conquered Malta, and it
remained under Sicilian rule until the 16th
century, when the Holy Roman Emperor Charles
V handed it over to the Knights of St John of
Jerusalem 1530. After a Turkish attack 1565
the knights fortified the island, and held it
until 1798, when they surrendered to
Napoleon. After requesting British
protection, Malta was annexed by Britain
1814, and became a leading naval base. A
vital link in World War II, Malta came under
heavy attack and was awarded the George Cross
decoration. The island was made
self-governing 1947, and in 1955 Dom Mintoff,
leader of the Malta Labour Party (MLP),
became prime minister. In 1956 the MLP's
proposal for integration with the UK was
approved by a referendum but opposed by the
conservative Nationalist Party, led by Dr
Giorgio Borg Olivier. In 1958 Mintoff
rejected the British proposals and resigned,
causing a constitutional crisis. By 1961 both
parties favoured independence, and talks
began 1962, with Borg Olivier as prime
minister. Malta became a fully independent
state within the Commonwealth and under the
British crown in 1964, having signed a
ten-year military and economic aid treaty
with the UK. In 1971 Mintoff and the MLP
returned to power with a policy of
international nonalignment. He declared the
1964 treaty invalid and began to negotiate a
new arrangement for leasing the Maltese NATO
base and obtaining the maximum economic
benefit from it for his country. A seven-year
agreement was signed 1972. Malta became a
republic 1974, and in the 1976 general
election the MLP was returned with a reduced
majority. It again won a narrow majority in
the House of Representatives 1981, even
though the Nationalists had a bigger share of
the popular vote. As a result, Nationalist
MPs refused to take up their seats for over a
year. Relations between the two parties were
also damaged by allegations of pro-government
bias in the broadcasting service. At the end
of 1984 Mintoff announced his retirement and
Dr Mifsud Bonnici succeeded him as MLP leader
and prime minister. The Nationalist Party was
elected in 1987 and its leader, Edward Fenech
Adami, became prime minister.