Michael Refalo (25 February 1936 – 3 February 2015) was a Maltese politician and diplomat. He was a member of the Nationalist Party and sat in the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

between 1971 and 2003 and served terms first as parliamentary secretary and later as minister for tourism. Refalo was High Commissioner of Malta to the United Kingdom between 2005 and October 2008. He was also the editor of the ''Il-Mument'' newspaper from 1972 to 1980.

Career

Refalo was born 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 ...

on 25 February 1936. He went to St Aloysius' College. He became a lawyer in 1961. In the

1962 Events January * January 1 – Western Samoa becomes independent from New Zealand. * January 3 – Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro for preaching communism. * January 8 – Harmelen train disaster: 93 die in the wors ...

and 1966 elections he was a candidate for the House of Representatives of Malta for the Nationalist Party, but was not elected. In the 1971 election he was elected to the house. He was re-elected in every election until 2003, a total of 33 years. In 1987, he was made parliamentary secretary for tourism and he was reappointed to the function in 1992. During his term in offic,e he made the goal of Malta obtaining one million tourists annually. In 1995, he was made minister for justice and culture and, three years later, he was appointed minister for tourism and culture. He was High Commissioner of Malta to the United Kingdom between 2005 and October 2008. He was editor of the newspaper ''Il-Mument'' between 1972 and 1980. Refalo was made a companion in the National Order of Merit in 2007. Refalo died on 3 February 2015 in Sliema, aged 78.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Refalo, Michael 1936 births 2015 deaths Government ministers of Malta High Commissioners of Malta to the United Kingdom Nationalist Party (Malta) politicians Maltese newspaper editors Members of the House of Representatives of Malta People from Sliema Recipients of the National Order of Merit (Malta) 20th-century Maltese politicians 21st-century Maltese politicians