The Progressive Constitutionalist Party (PCP) was a

political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country'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 ( 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 ...

between 1953 and 1971.

History

The PCP was established in 1953 by

Mabel Strickland Mabel Edeline Strickland, (8 January 1899 – 29 November 1988), was an Anglo- Maltese journalist, newspaper proprietor and politician. Family and personal life Strickland was the daughter of Sir Gerald Strickland, later the 4th Prime Ministe ...

, owner of the ''

Times of Malta The ''Times of Malta'' is an English-language daily newspaper in Malta. Founded in 1935, by Lord and Lady Strickland and Lord Strickland's daughter Mabel, it is the oldest daily newspaper still in circulation in Malta. It has the widest circu ...

'' and daughter of

Gerald Strickland Gerald Paul Joseph Cajetan Carmel Antony Martin Strickland, 6th Count della Catena, 1st Baron Strickland, (24 May 1861 – 22 August 1940) was a Maltese and British politician and peer, who served as Prime Minister of Malta, Governor of the L ...

, the founder of the Constitutional Party.Vincent E McHale (1983) ''Political parties of Europe'', Greenwood Press, p635 It was a split from the Constitutional Party, which Strickland had left in protest against its support for the Labour Party's policy of integration with the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. The party failed to win a seat in elections in 1953 and

1955 Events January * January 3 – José Ramón Guizado becomes president of Panama. * January 17 – , the first nuclear-powered submarine, puts to sea for the first time, from Groton, Connecticut. * January 18– 20 – Battle of Yijian ...

, but won a single seat in the 1962 elections. However, it lost its seat in the post-independence 1966 elections. After failing to win a seat in the 1971 elections it subsequently disappeared.

Ideology

The party promoted loyalty to the Catholic church and the British Crown, but advocated dominion status for Malta to avoid any cultural assimilation or secularisation that integration with the United Kingdom would bring.McHale, p636 It also held a strict anti-communist line.

References

External links

Progressive Constitutional Party's Principles and Programme
{{Authority control Defunct political parties in Malta Political parties established in 1953 1953 establishments in Malta Political parties disestablished in 1971 1971 disestablishments in Malta Anti-communist parties Catholic political parties Monarchist parties