46 Women To Contest upcoming General Election: Gender Mechanism In Focus

A total of 46 women will contest the upcoming election in Malta, compared to 116 male candidates, placing female political representation once again at the centre of national discussion.

Out of 162 candidates overall, the Labour Party will field the highest number of women, with 28 female candidates contesting.

This marks a significant increase from the 2022 election, when the party presented half that number. The Nationalist Party will field 13 women, one fewer than in the previous election.

Meanwhile, ADPD will present two female candidates, while Aħwa Maltin will field three women. Partit Momentum is not expected to have any female candidates contesting, and no independent female candidates are currently set to run.

Every electoral district will include at least two women on the ballot, although Gozo is expected to record the lowest number of female candidates.

The figures have once again drawn attention to Malta’s Gender Mechanism, introduced in 2021 to address gender imbalance in Parliament.

Under the system, elections proceed normally, but if either men or women make up less than 40 per cent of Parliament after the final result, additional seats can be added for candidates from the underrepresented sex who narrowly missed election.

Supporters say the mechanism creates fairer representation, while critics argue MPs should only enter Parliament through direct election.

#MaltaDaily