The People's Party (, PP), also erroneously called the Popular Party by Maltese English-language media, is a conservative

political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular area's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology, ...

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

. It was founded in July 2020 and is currently headed by Paul Salomone. The party has never obtained any seats in local councils or the Maltese parliament. It does not contest European elections. It is considered

right-wing Right-wing politics is the range of political ideologies that view certain social orders and hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position based on natural law, economics, authority, property ...

far-right Far-right politics, often termed right-wing extremism, encompasses a range of ideologies that are marked by ultraconservatism, authoritarianism, ultranationalism, and nativism. This political spectrum situates itself on the far end of the ...

by certain journalists and portals, however the party opposes this characterisation, stating that their founding principles are based on the dignity of every individual. Furthermore the party also stated that their policies are similar to those of the Nationalist Party until the 2000s, and thus labeling the party as far-right would be profoundly incorrect.

History

The People's Party was registered in July 2020 and would be launched later in November of the same year. In the first annual general meeting held on 4 August 2020, Paul Salomone, who had previously contested the 2008 election on the list of National Action, was confirmed leader of the party. In the 2022 general election, the first election the party participated in, contested with a total of 8 candidates in all 13 districts. They received 1,533 votes (0.53%) and did not elect any of their candidates, coming in second place amongst the third parties after ADPD and fourth nationwide. Even if it shares the same name as that of People's Party of 1895 that was founded by Sigismondo Savona, the party in 1895 did not inspire the newer one. The party also remembered Enrico Mizzi in the 72nd anniversary of his death.

Ideology

Ideologically, it is a

right-wing populist Right-wing populism, also called national populism and right populism, is a political ideology that combines right-wing politics with populist rhetoric and themes. Its rhetoric employs anti- elitist sentiments, opposition to the Establishm ...

and

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

party, and it opposes immigration, opposing "the abuse of the asylum system to facilitate economic migration". The party's founding document, entitled ''Il-Pilastri tal-Partit Popolari'' (), described it as seeking the "wider use of the

referendum A referendum, plebiscite, or ballot measure is a Direct democracy, direct vote by the Constituency, electorate (rather than their Representative democracy, representatives) on a proposal, law, or political issue. A referendum may be either bin ...

", promoting the principle of

subsidiarity Subsidiarity is a principle of social organization that holds that social and political issues should be dealt with at the most immediate or local level that is consistent with their resolution. The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' defines subsid ...

locally and at the European level, supporting "the traditional family without prejudice to the rights of non-traditional families", and seeking to "represent Malta in Europe rather than Europe in Malta". The party has coupled together

traditional A tradition is a system of beliefs or behaviors (folk custom) passed down within a group of people or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examp ...

positions with

Eurosceptic Euroscepticism, also spelled as Euroskepticism or EU-scepticism, is a political position involving criticism of the European Union (EU) and European integration. It ranges from those who oppose some EU institutions and policies and seek refor ...

and

anti-immigration Opposition to immigration, also known as anti-immigration, is a political position that seeks to restrict immigration. In the modern sense, immigration refers to the entry of people from one state or territory into another state or territory in ...

stances.

LGBTQ

The party proposes preference of heterosexual couples over non-heterosexual couples in adoption. It has also proposed the removal of government funding for gender affirming care for all ages and the raising of the minimum age to 21, despite the medical age of consent being 16 in Malta. The party made a Facebook post on 13 January 2023 disapproving of the government's strengthening of a law which strengthens bans on

gay conversion therapy Conversion therapy is the pseudoscientific practice of attempting to change an individual's sexual orientation, romantic orientation, gender identity, or gender expression to align with heterosexual and cisgender norms. Methods that have bee ...

, claiming that it tramples on individual liberty. On 7 February 2023 another Facebook post by the party claimed that they are against "Indoctrination of our children at school", in reference to an article by

tabloid newspaper A tabloid is a newspaper format characterized by its compact size, smaller than a broadsheet. The term originates from the 19th century, when the London-based pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline, Burroughs Wellcome & Co. used the term to de ...

LovinMalta regarding new government policy aimed at making schools more inclusive.

COVID-19 politics

On the 16 January 2022 It organized anti- green pass protests. Furthermore, the party also protested against preventive measures against COVID-19, such as lockdowns and the distribution of vaccines.

Abortion

The People's Party opposes

abortion Abortion is the early termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. Abortions that occur without intervention are known as miscarriages or "spontaneous abortions", and occur in roughly 30–40% of all pregnan ...

, and has stated that they would never support abortion. Paul Salamone said that abortion is the killing of the innocent, and he declared that if the People's Party were elected, it would do everything in its power to save the life of the unborn. He also stated that he understood the situations of women who become pregnant unintentionally or suffer from mental or financial challenges, and therefore wants to support pregnant women throughout their pregnancy. Additionally, he promised that women who wished to have an abortion would be assisted in placing their children for

adoption Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting of another, usually a child, from that person's biological or legal parent or parents. Legal adoptions permanently transfer all rights and responsibilities, along with filiation, fro ...

. Moreover, parents facing financial difficulties would be provided with

social assistance Welfare spending is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specifically to social insurance ...

Immigration

The People's Party advocates for a more restrictive immigration policy in Malta. The party opposes the government's reliance on foreign labor to sustain economic growth, arguing that this approach undermines Malta’s

national identity National identity is a person's identity or sense of belonging to one or more states or one or more nations. It is the sense of "a nation as a cohesive whole, as represented by distinctive traditions, culture, and language". National identity ...

and social cohesion. According to the party, Malta is experiencing

overdevelopment In international economics, overdevelopment refers to a way of seeing global inequality and pollution that focuses on the negative consequences of overconsumption, excessive consumption. It is the opposite extreme to underdevelopment. In mainstre ...

and cultural decline, with increasing pressure on local workers due to an influx of cheap labor. Paul Salomone stated that he has nothing against foreigners, but believes that it should be focused stronger on their integration into Maltese society by learning the

Maltese language Maltese (, also or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language derived from Siculo-Arabic, late medieval Sicilian Arabic with Romance languages, Romance Stratum (linguistics), superstrata. It is the only Semitic languages, Semitic language pred ...

and respecting local customs. The party also asserts that migration issues should be addressed at their origin, particularly in Africa, rather than managed at the Mediterranean border. It questions the classification of migrants who pay thousands of euros to reach Malta as economic migrants.

Economy

The former party's president, Karmenu Borg, has stated that Malta should follow the example of countries that have developed ecosystems of

innovation Innovation is the practical implementation of ideas that result in the introduction of new goods or service (economics), services or improvement in offering goods or services. ISO TC 279 in the standard ISO 56000:2020 defines innovation as "a n ...

, emphasizing the importance of promoting entrepreneurship,

research Research is creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge. It involves the collection, organization, and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular attentiveness to ...

, and development. The People's Party advocates for an economic model focused on high value-added activities rather than one reliant on low wages.Borg also noted that the party would seek to reform the

system to eliminate incentives that may lead to misuse of

public funds Government spending or expenditure includes all government consumption, investment, and transfer payments. In national income accounting, the acquisition by governments of goods and services for current use, to directly satisfy the individual o ...

Direct-Democracy

The party advocates for enhanced

direct democracy Direct democracy or pure democracy is a form of democracy in which the Election#Electorate, electorate directly decides on policy initiatives, without legislator, elected representatives as proxies, as opposed to the representative democracy m ...

and increased citizen participation in governance. The party supports the use of

referendums A referendum, plebiscite, or ballot measure is a direct vote by the electorate (rather than their representatives) on a proposal, law, or political issue. A referendum may be either binding (resulting in the adoption of a new policy) or advis ...

as a tool to ensure that the populace has a direct say in significant national decisions. The party in general advocates for a more representative parliamentary system and increased use of the referendum, to ensure that the will of the populace is being included in politics, and for the avoidance of

authoritarian Authoritarianism is a political system characterized by the rejection of political plurality, the use of strong central power to preserve the political ''status quo'', and reductions in democracy, separation of powers, civil liberties, and ...

decisions by the governing party.The party has already called for referendums on

Gozo Gozo ( ), known in classical antiquity, antiquity as Gaulos, is an island in the Malta#The Maltese archipelago, Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. The island is part of the Republic of Malta. After the Malta Island, island of Malta ...

autonomy In developmental psychology and moral, political, and bioethical philosophy, autonomy is the capacity to make an informed, uncoerced decision. Autonomous organizations or institutions are independent or self-governing. Autonomy can also be ...

and the European Union, emphasizing their commitment to allowing citizens to directly influence

legislative A legislature (, ) is a deliberative assembly with the legal authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country, nation or city on behalf of the people therein. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers ...

decisions.

Activity

The party is mainly active through press conferences and statements sent to national television. It has also been jointly participating in press conferences on cost of living and social values with

Catholic social teaching Catholic social teaching (CST) is an area of Catholic doctrine which is concerned with human dignity and the common good in society. It addresses oppression, the role of the state, subsidiarity, social organization, social justice, and w ...

-inspired think tank ''Moviment Solidarjetà'' (), led by former

Nationalist Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the State (polity), state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation,Anthony D. Smith, Smith, A ...

MP Edwin Vassallo.

Gallery

File:Maltese People's Party Logo and Motto.svg, alt=,

Electoral history

Local Elections

House of Representatives

European Parliament

References

{{Maltese political parties Right-wing parties in Europe Eurosceptic parties in Malta Maltese nationalism Conservative parties in Malta Political parties established in 2020 Catholic political parties 2020 establishments in Malta