Type Unicameral Seats 71 | ||
Houses House of Representatives President Marie Louise Coleiro Preca Political groups | ||
The Parliament of Malta (Maltese: Parlament ta' Malta) is the constitutional legislative body in Malta, located in Valletta. The parliament is unicameral, with a democratically elected House of Representatives and the President of Malta. By Constitutional law, all government ministers, including the Prime Minister, must be members of the House of Representatives.
Contents
Between 1921 and 1933 the Parliament was bicameral, consisting of a Senate as well as a Legislative Assembly.
House of Representatives of Malta
The House of Representatives (Maltese: Kamra tad-Deputati) is the unicameral legislature of Malta and a component of the Parliament of Malta. The House is presided over by the Speaker of the House. The President of Malta is appointed for a five-year term by a resolution of the House.
Composition
The House is composed of an odd number of members elected for one legislative term of five years. Ordinarily, five members are returned from each of thirteen electoral districts using the single transferable vote electoral system but additional members are elected in cases of dis-proportionality (where a party with an absolute majority of votes fails to win an absolute majority of seats and where only candidates from two parties are elected).
Meeting place
Between 1921 and 2015, the House of Representatives was housed in the Grandmaster's Palace.
The House of Representatives is currently housed in the Parliament House, near the entrance of Valletta. The present building was inaugurated on 4 May 2015.
Committees
The Standing Orders of the House provide for the creation of eight Parliamentary Standing Committees to make parliamentary work more efficient and enhance Parliament's scrutiny functions.
The Standing Committees are:
Other Standing Committees constituted by other statutes include:
There are also select committees and non-official committees.