Evelyn Bonaci (29 November 1916 – 16 December 2008) was a Maltese politician who served in the

Parliament of Malta The Parliament of Malta ( mt, Il-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 const ...

from 1966 until 1976 as a member of the Labour Party. Bonaci co-founded the

women's wing A women's wing is an organisation affiliated with a political party that consists of that party's female membership or acts to promote women within a party. The organisations take different roles and types, with some giving women the option of join ...

of the Labour Party.

Biography

Evelyn Bonaci was born on 29 November 1916 in

Sliema Sliema ( mt, Tas-Sliema ) is a town located on the northeast coast of Malta in the Districts of Malta#Northern Harbour District, Northern Harbour District. It is a major residential and commercial area and a centre for shopping, bars, dining, a ...

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

. Several members of her family were politicians associated with the

Malta Labour Party The Labour Party ( mt, Partit Laburista, PL), formerly known as the Malta Labour Party ( mt, Partit tal-Ħaddiema, MLP), is one of the two major political parties in Malta, along with the Nationalist Party. It sits on the centre-left of the po ...

: her husband Louis unsuccessfully ran for the

in the 1953 and 1955 elections, while her brother-in-law, Cikku Bonaci, was an MP and government minister. In 1961, she co-founded the

of the Labour Party along with

Agatha Barbara Agatha Barbara, (11 March 1923 – 4 February 2002) was a Maltese politician, having served as a Labour Member of Parliament and Minister. She was the first woman to serve as president of Malta, and remains the longest-serving woman Member ...

. Bonaci later served as the president of the women's wing of the party branch in

Birkirkara Birkirkara (abbreviated as B'Kara) is a city in the central region of Malta. It is the second most populous on the island, with 24,356 inhabitants as of 2020. The town consists of five autonomous parishes: Saint Helen, Saint Joseph the Worker, Ou ...

, and was a member of the Labour Party's national executive committee. Bonaci unsuccessfully ran for parliament in the

1962 Maltese general election General elections were held in Malta between 17 and 19 February 1962.Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) ''Elections in Europe: A data handbook'', p1302 The Nationalist Party emerged as the largest party, winning 25 of the 50 seats. Electoral ...

. She ran again in the 1966 election, and was elected to represent

District 6 District Six is a place in Cape Town, South Africa. District Six may also refer to: :Government divisions * District 6, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam * District 6 (New York City Council), in the United States * VI District, Turku, in Finland * Distri ...

. Bonaci was re-elected in the

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 10, and August 6). The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history. Events Ja ...

and

1976 elections The following elections occurred in the year 1976. Africa * 1976–1977 Guinea-Bissau legislative election * 1976 Malawian general election * 1976 Mauritanian presidential election * 1976 Tiris El Gharbiya parliamentary by-election (Mauritan ...

. She was defeated in the 1981 election. Following her defeat, Bonaci remained active in the Labour Party; she ran again in the 1987 election, but was defeated. During her tenure, Bonaci was a member of the Maltese delegation to a conference of the

Commonwealth of Nations The Commonwealth of Nations, simply referred to as the Commonwealth, is a political association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire. The chief institutions of the organisation are the Co ...

. In 1995, Bonaci was named an "officer of the National Order of Merit". Bonaci died in

Luqa Luqa ( mt, Ħal Luqa, , ) is a town located in the Southern Region of Malta, 4.3 km away from the capital Valletta. With a population of 5,945 as of March 2014, it is a small but densely populated settlement which is typical of Malta's old ...

on 16 December 2008 at the age of 92. Members of both major parties expressed condolences, including

Tonio Borg Tonio Borg (born 12 May 1957) is a conservative Maltese politician who served as the European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy replacing John Dalli as member of the College of the European Commission in the second Barroso Commission. ...

and

Joseph Muscat Joseph Muscat (born 22 January 1974) is a Maltese politician who served as the prime minister of Malta from 2013 to 2020, and as the leader of the Labour Party from June 2008 to January 2020. Muscat was re-elected as prime minister in the ...

of the Labour Party. The Labour Party stated that Bonaci was "an exemplary member of the party, known for her ethical respect towards political adversaries". Her funeral was held at

St Helen's Basilica St Helen's Basilica ( mt, Il-Bażilika ta' Sant' Elena) is an 18th-century Roman Catholic church situated in Birkirkara, Malta. It is built on the baroque design by Salvu Borg and built by Mason Domenico Cachia. The design was inspired, and is ...

in Birkirkara.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bonaci, Evelyn 1916 births 2008 deaths People from Sliema People from Luqa 20th-century Maltese politicians 20th-century Maltese women politicians Labour Party (Malta) politicians Members of the House of Representatives of Malta Recipients of the National Order of Merit (Malta) Women members of the House of Representatives of Malta