Joseph Muscat

For the footballer, see Joe Muscatt.

Joseph Muscat
KUOM
Muscat in 2018
13th Prime Minister of Malta
In office
11 March 2013 – 13 January 2020
PresidentGeorge Abela
Marie Louise Coleiro Preca
George Vella
DeputyLouis Grech
Chris Fearne
Preceded byLawrence Gonzi
Succeeded byRobert Abela
Leader of the Labour Party
In office
6 June 2008 – 12 January 2020
Preceded byAlfred Sant
Succeeded byRobert Abela
13th Commonwealth Chair-in-Office
In office
27 November 2015 – 19 April 2018
Preceded byMaithripala Sirisena
Succeeded byTheresa May
Leader of the Opposition
In office
1 October 2008 – 11 March 2013
PresidentEddie Fenech Adami
George Abela
Prime MinisterLawrence Gonzi
Preceded byCharles Mangion (Acting); Alfred Sant
Succeeded byLawrence Gonzi (Acting); Simon Busuttil
Member of the European Parliament
In office
12 June 2004 – 25 September 2008
Personal details
Born (1974-01-22) 22 January 1974 (age 50)
Pietà, State of Malta
Political partyLabour
SpouseMichelle Tanti
Children2
EducationUniversity of Malta
University of Bristol
WebsiteOfficial website

Joseph Muscat KUOM (born 22 January 1974) is a Maltese politician who served as the 13th prime minister of Malta from 2013 to 2020[1][2] and leader of the Labour Party from 2008 to 2020.[3][4]

Muscat was re-elected as prime minister in the elections of 3 June 2017 (55.04% after 54.83% in 2013).[5] Previously he was a member of the European Parliament (MEP) from 2004 to 2008.[6] He was the leader of the opposition from October 2008 to March 2013.[7] Muscat identifies as a progressive and liberal politician, with pro-business leanings,[8] and has been associated with both economically liberal and socially liberal policies.[9]

Muscat succeeded Alfred Sant as party leader in 2008. He rebranded the Labour Party, which embraced an increasingly socially liberal and centrist position. The 2013 general election saw Muscat becoming prime minister in March 2013.[3] His premiership was marked for pulling together a national consensus for economic growth, based on a restructured Maltese economy. His administration led to large-scale changes to welfare and civil liberties, including the legalisation of same-sex marriage in July 2017[10] and Cannabis in 2018. Muscat presided over the rise of the Labour Party and its dominance in Maltese politics, and the relative decline of the Nationalist Party. He has been criticised by figures on both the left and right, and has been accused of political opportunism,[11] broken promises on meritocracy[12] and the environment,[13] as well as corruption allegations.[14] On 1 December 2019, under pressure from the 2019 street protests calling for his resignation in relation to the assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia,[15][16] Muscat announced his resignation, and stepped down on 13 January 2020.[17]

In May, 2024, Joseph Muscat together with Konrad Mizzi, Keith Schembri, and others were criminally charged[18][19] with, among other things, bribery, criminal association, and money laundering in relation to Steward Health Care, Vitals Global Healthcare and the related Hospital contract controversy.

  1. ^ "Joseph Muscat crowned Labour leader". timesofmalta.com. 8 June 2008. Archived from the original on 27 November 2015. Retrieved 26 November 2015.
  2. ^ Borg, Jacob (13 January 2019). "Joseph Muscat in low-key final exit". Times of Malta. Archived from the original on 14 January 2020. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  3. ^ a b "Joseph Muscat sworn in, goes to Castille, as huge crowd celebrates". timesofmalta.com. 11 March 2013. Archived from the original on 27 November 2015. Retrieved 26 November 2015.
  4. ^ Vella, Matthew (12 January 2020). "Fearne absent for Abela's victory lap as Labour MPs gather by leader's side". MaltaToday. Archived from the original on 13 January 2020. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  5. ^ "General Election". Archived from the original on 31 July 2017. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
  6. ^ "Joseph Muscat". europarl.europa.eu. Archived from the original on 19 April 2016. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  7. ^ "Parlament ta' Malta". Archived from the original on 26 February 2017. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  8. ^ "'Being pro-business means being pro-worker', Prime Minister Joseph Muscat". The Malta Independent. 9 January 2017. Archived from the original on 29 January 2017. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  9. ^ Diacono, Tim (30 March 2017). "'Time for clampdown on poverty' – Muscat". MaltaToday. Archived from the original on 1 April 2017. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  10. ^ "Malta allows same-sex couples to marry in 'historic vote' for Catholic country". The Telegraph. 13 July 2017. Archived from the original on 13 July 2017. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  11. ^ "Opposition has set a new benchmark in political opportunism – Gonzi". Times of Malta. 4 June 2012. Archived from the original on 7 June 2012. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  12. ^ "A farewell to meritocracy". MaltaToday. 24 March 2015. Archived from the original on 12 May 2016. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  13. ^ Schembri Orland, Kevin (8 May 2017). "Labour's environmental credentials: 'the facts speak for themselves' – FAA". The Malta Independent. Archived from the original on 18 July 2019. Retrieved 12 June 2017.
  14. ^ Cooper, Harry (26 April 2017). "Corruption allegations threaten to wreck Muscat's premiership". politico.eu. Archived from the original on 6 June 2017. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  15. ^ Cite error: The named reference TMalta_Thousands_demand_resignations was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  16. ^ Taub, Ben. "Murder in Malta". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on 16 December 2020. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
  17. ^ "'I've paid highest political price for a dark episode,' says Malta PM". euronews. 11 January 2020. Archived from the original on 29 October 2020. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  18. ^ "Malta's ex-PM Muscat charged in connection with hospital sell-off scandal". politico. 6 May 2024. Archived from the original on 11 May 2024. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  19. ^ "Joseph Muscat to be charged with bribery and criminal association". TimesofMalta. 7 May 2024. Archived from the original on 21 May 2024. Retrieved 20 May 2024.