Alfred Sant (born February 28, 1948) is a Maltese politician. He was the leader of the Malta Labour Party from 1992 to 2008, served as Prime Minister of Malta between 1996 and 1998 and as Leader of the Opposition from 1992 till 1996 and from 1998 till 2008. He resigned his position of MLP leader on Monday 10th March 2008. The Prime Minister of Malta is the most powerful figure within the government of Malta, although the President of Malta has a higher rank. ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... Please wikify (format) this article or section as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ... Edward Fenech Adami (Dwardu Fenech Adami, born February 7, 1934, Birkirkara) was the Prime Minister of Malta from 1987 until 1996 and from 1998 until 2004. ... Edward Fenech Adami (Dwardu Fenech Adami, born February 7, 1934, Birkirkara) was the Prime Minister of Malta from 1987 until 1996 and from 1998 until 2004. ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... Edward Fenech Adami (Dwardu Fenech Adami, born February 7, 1934, Birkirkara) was the Prime Minister of Malta from 1987 until 1996 and from 1998 until 2004. ... Year 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici (also known as Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici; sometimes colloqially referred to as KMB) (b. ... is the 59th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1948 (MCMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the 1948 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Pietà waterfront Pietà (or Tal-Pietà) is a small town located on the outskirts of Valletta, the capital city of Malta. ... The Labour Party (Maltese: Partit Laburista) is a Maltese political party. ... Birkirkara (or BKara) is a city of 21,775 inhabitants (as of November 2005) in central Malta. ... is the 59th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1948 (MCMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the 1948 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Malta Labour Party (MLP, Maltese: ) is one of two major contemporary political parties in Malta, along with the Nationalist Party. ... The Prime Minister of Malta is the most powerful figure within the government of Malta, although the President of Malta has a higher rank. ...

Education

Sant graduated from the University of Malta as Bachelor of Science in Physics and Mathematics in 1967 and as Master of Science in Physics in the following year. He studied public administration in 1970 at Institut International d'Administration Publique at the ENA in Paris and holds a Master of Business Management (with honors) from Boston University Graduate School of Management (specialising in international business and business policy) and a Doctor of Business Administration from Harvard University. The University of Malta is the highest teaching institution in the Republic of Malta. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... This article is about the capital of France. ... Founded as the College of Business Administration, the Boston University Graduate School of Management (GSM) offers a Master of Business Administration (MBA), a Master of Science in Investment Management (MSIM), and a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) degree. ... Harvard redirects here. ...

Career

Sant served as Second, and then First Secretary at the Malta Mission to the European Communities in Brussels between 1970 and 1975 when he resigned to undertake full-time studies in the USA. Between 1977 and 1978 on his return to Malta Sant served as advisor on general and financial management at the Ministry of Parastatal and People's Industries and between 1978 and 1980 he served as the Managing Director of Medina Consulting Group. Sant returned to the public sector in 1980 as Executive Deputy Chairman with the Malta Development Corporation.

Politics

Sant's first political post with the Malta Labour Party was as chairman of its Department of Information (1982-92). During this time he also served as President of the Party (1984-88). He served a stint as the editor of the Party weekly Il-Ħelsien (1987-88). The Malta Labour Party (MLP, Maltese: ) is one of two major contemporary political parties in Malta, along with the Nationalist Party. ...

Sant first stood for election in 1987, however he was unsuccessful but was co-opted to Parliament later that year. In 1992 following the resignation of Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici he was elected Party leader. Year 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar). ... Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici (also known as Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici; sometimes colloqially referred to as KMB) (b. ...

22-month government 1996-98

The Malta Labour Party (MLP) won the October 1996 elections under Sant who successfully campaigned for the removal of the Value Added Tax (VAT) that had been introduced in 1995. A year after taking office the MLP under Sant replaced VAT by a similar indirect tax, the Customs and Excise Tax (CET) which proved to be deeply unpopular. The Malta Labour Party (MLP, Maltese: ) is one of two major contemporary political parties in Malta, along with the Nationalist Party. ... Tax rates around the world Tax revenue as % of GDP Economic policy Monetary policy Central bank   Money supply Gold standard Fiscal policy Spending   Deficit   Debt Policy-mix Trade policy Tariff   Trade agreement Finance Financial market Financial market participants Corporate   Personal Public   Regulation Banking Fractional-reserve Full-reserve   Free banking Islamic... The term indirect tax has more than one meaning. ...

Alfred Sant's tenure as Prime Minister lasted only 22 months. Enjoying only a one-seat majority the Government was vulnerable to threats from former Prime Minister and Labour leader Dom Mintoff. Things came to a head in the summer of 1998 when a row with Mintoff over a coastal concession to a private company resulted in Government being defeated over the motion transferring the land. Sant felt that, in the circumstances, the government's parliamentary majority was compromised and asked the President to dissolve the House. In the subsequent elections held in September 1998 the Malta Labour Party was defeated and returned into opposition. Dominic Mintoff (born 6 August 1916) was Prime Minister of Malta under British colonial rule, between 1955 and 1958, and then after independence, serving between 1971 and 1984. ... The Malta Labour Party (MLP, Maltese: ) is one of two major contemporary political parties in Malta, along with the Nationalist Party. ...

2003 Referendum and election

Dr Alfred Sant campaigned heavily against Malta's European Union membership. During the run-up to the March 2003 referendum, Sant was also critical of what he called a "sham referendum" insisting that a general election alone would settle the EU membership issue. He called on Labour supporters to either vote No, abstain or invalidate their vote. He himself abstained. Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The Yes side won the referendum by a 54% to 46% margin but Sant claimed to have won the referendum as the Yes vote was less than half of registered voters. In view of the lack of consensus on the interpretation of the result, Prime Minister Eddie Fenech Adami asked the President to dissolve Parliament and call fresh elections. These were held in April 2003 and the Malta Labour Party was again defeated at the polls. Edward Fenech Adami (Dwardu Fenech Adami, born February 7, 1934, Birkirkara) was the Prime Minister of Malta from 1987 until 1996 and from 1998 until 2004. ... The Malta Labour Party (MLP, Maltese: ) is one of two major contemporary political parties in Malta, along with the Nationalist Party. ...

Sant tendered his resignation as party leader. He did, however, stand for election for Party leader again which was contested by two other candidates for the post, John Attard Montalto and Anġlu Farrugia. Sant was re-elected party leader with 66% of votes cast by Labour Party delegates and returned to lead the Party.

Maltese General Election, 2008

The Malta Labour Party, spearheaded by him, presented a new programme Pjan għal bidu ġdid (Plan for a new beginning) and called for Bżonn ta' Bidla (The need for a Change) after the 20 years (save for his brief stint from 1996 to 1998) of Partit Nazzjonalista government. The electoral-programme contained references to overhauls in the educative system, which proved to be extremely controversial, and also the reduction by half of an electricity surcharge and overtime taxation-holidays. The Nationalist Party (PN, Maltese: Partit Nazzjonalista) is one of two major contemporary political parties in Malta, along with the Malta Labour Party. ... An overprint is the addition of text (and sometimes graphics) to the face of a postage stamp after it has been printed. ...

Dr. Alfred Sant was defeated again, this time by Dr. Lawrence Gonzi (Partit Nazzjonalista) in the 2008 general election. This election was lost by the MLP on a slim margin of 1580 votes, effectively wiping out the previous Nationalist majority, even if the MLP failed to seriously increase its voter backing. Following the loss of the election, Sant resigned as MLP leader on 10th March 2008, officialising the decision whilst addressing a press conference. Moreover, Sant said that his resignation was irrevocable. Regardless of this, Alfred Sant is expected to retain his Member of Parliament seat after being elected from two districts on the first count. Lawrence Gonzi (born July 1, 1953) is the Prime Minister and finance minister of Malta. ... The Nationalist Party or Partit Nazzjonalista (PN) is a Maltese political party. ...

Literary and Journalism

Dr Sant is an established writer (of both novels and short stories) and playwright and has published several books. His published works include the collected plays Min Hu Evelyn Costa?, "Kwart ta' mija" -- a collection of short stories, the novels L-Ewwel Weraq tal-Bajtar, Silġ fuq Kemmuna, ”Fid-dell tal-Katidral” , “Qabel tiftaħ l-inkjesta” and "La bidu la tmiem". His non-fiction works include Bejgħ u Xiri, L-Impenn għall-Bidla, (a collection of essays) and the political chronicle "28 ta' April, 1958", "Malta's European Challenge" and the autobiographical "Confessions of a European Maltese".

Sant was also the editor Tomorrow, a monthly English language magazine (1982-1985) and of Society, a quarterly opinions magazine, apart from authoring numerous articles. Sant also contributes to the MLP's Sunday, Maltese language newspaper, It-Torċa.

Illness

In December 2007 Sant was admitted to hospital where, it was later announced, he was treated for colon cancer. In January 2008 it was announced in a Labour Party conference that Alfred Sant was recovering well from surgery and was fit to remain leader of the MLP. He also suffers from mental illness. He is also an alcohol addict.

References

v • d • e Prime Ministers of Malta
Joseph Howard • Francesco Buhagiar • Ugo Pasquale Mifsud • Gerald Strickland • Ugo Pasquale Mifsud • office abolished, 1933-1947 • Paul Boffa • Enrico Mizzi • Giorgio Borg Olivier • Dom Mintoff • office abolished, 1958-1962 • Giorgio Borg Olivier • Dom Mintoff • Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici • Eddie Fenech Adami • Alfred Sant • Eddie Fenech Adami • Lawrence Gonzi