State of Malta
| State of Malta Stat ta’ Malta | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964–1974 | |||||||||
|
Motto: "Virtute et Constantia" "[By] virtue and constancy" | |||||||||
 State of Malta in dark green | |||||||||
| Capital | Valletta | ||||||||
| Common languages |
English Maltese | ||||||||
| Government | Constitutional monarchy | ||||||||
| Queen | |||||||||
• 1964–1974 | Elizabeth II | ||||||||
| Governor-General | |||||||||
• 1964–1971 | Maurice Henry Dorman | ||||||||
• 1971–1974 | Anthony Joseph Mamo | ||||||||
| Prime Minister | |||||||||
• 1964–1971 | George Borg Olivier | ||||||||
• 1971–1974 | Dom Mintoff | ||||||||
| Legislature | Parliament | ||||||||
| Historical era | Cold War | ||||||||
• Independence | 21 September 1964 | ||||||||
• Republic | 13 December 1974 | ||||||||
| Area | |||||||||
| 1967 | 316 km2 (122 sq mi) | ||||||||
| Population | |||||||||
• 1967 | 314216 | ||||||||
| Currency |
Pound Sterling (1964–1972) Maltese Lira (1972–1974) | ||||||||
| ISO 3166 code | MT | ||||||||
| |||||||||
The State of Malta (Maltese: Stat ta’ Malta), known in common parlance as Malta, was the predecessor to the modern-day Republic of Malta. It existed between 21 September 1964 and 13 December 1974.
The Crown Colony of Malta became independent under the Malta Independence Act 1964 passed by the British Parliament. Under the new Constitution of Malta, approved in a referendum held May of that year, Queen Elizabeth II became Queen of Malta (Maltese: Reġina ta' Malta). Her constitutional roles were delegated to the Governor-General of Malta. Between 1964 and 1974, Elizabeth II visited Malta once in November 1967.
Governors-General
The following Governors-General held office in Malta between 1964 and 1974:
- Sir Maurice Henry Dorman (21 September 1964 – 4 July 1971)
- Sir Anthony Mamo (4 July 1971 – 13 December 1974)
Prime Ministers
The following held office as Prime Minister (and head of government) of the State of Malta during this period:
- George Borg Olivier (September 21, 1964 – 21 June 1971)
- Dom Mintoff (21 June 1971 – 13 December 1974)
Transition to republic
On 13 December 1974, following amendments to the Constitution by the Labour government of Dom Mintoff, the monarchy was abolished and Malta became a republic within the Commonwealth with the function of head of state vested in a president appointed by Parliament. The last Governor-General, Sir Anthony Mamo, was appointed the first President of Malta.
References
- "Orders of the Day — Malta Independence Bill: 23 Jul 1964: House of Commons debates". TheyWorkForYou. 1964-07-23. Retrieved 2017-01-26.
- "Malta Independence: 22 Jul 1964: House of Commons debates". TheyWorkForYou. 1964-07-22. Retrieved 2017-01-26.
- "Malta Independence Act 1964". Legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 2017-01-26.
- "MALTA INDEPENDENCE BILL (Hansard, 28 July 1964)". Hansard.millbanksystems.com. Retrieved 2017-01-26.
- "MALTA REPUBLIC BILL [LORDS] (Hansard, 5 May 1975)". Hansard.millbanksystems.com. Retrieved 2017-01-26.
- "MALTA REPUBLIC BILL [H.L.] (Hansard, 20 March 1975)". Hansard.millbanksystems.com. Retrieved 2017-01-26.
- "Malta Republic Act 1975". Legislation.gov.uk. 1974-12-13. Retrieved 2017-01-26.
- "Malta: Polity Style: 1964-2017". Archontology.org. Retrieved 2017-01-26.
- "Malta: Heads of State: 1964-1974". Archontology.org. Retrieved 2017-01-26.
- "Malta: Governors-General: 1964-1974". Archontology.org. Retrieved 2017-01-26.
- Ben Cahoon. "Malta". Worldstatesmen.org. Retrieved 2017-01-26.
- "STATE OF MALTA 01". Steno.webs.com. Retrieved 2017-01-26.
