The push for more diverse representation in parliament

One of the talking points for the upcoming general election has been the push to get more women to contest – out of the 178 candidates, 42 are women making up 24% of the 2022 candidature.

This is the first election where the gender corrective mechanism will come into play. If the under-represented sex comprises less than 40% of all seats after the election outcome is known, the mechanism will kick in to elect a maximum of 12 additional MPs – six on either side of the House.

Despite the Labour Party’s efforts to garner women candidates, the result has only been marginal, with just 16 women coming forward to contest the 26 March election. The number of women candidates is five more than the party fielded five years ago, making up 23% of its 2022 candidatures. In 2017, women candidates constituted 16% of the Labour Party’s total candidatures.

The Nationalist Party has 17 women candidates making up 24% of its candidatures. However, this figure has remained stagnant and has not improved since the 2017 elections.

Out of the ADPD’s ten candidates, three of them are women or transgender. Christian-conservative party ABBA has 14 candidates, four of which are women. Volt Malta’s two candidates are both women – and one of the four independent candidates is a woman.

Four women candidates contesting for the first time

Naomi Cachia, Labour Party, 7th, 12th districts, Lawyer

Naomi Cachia said she’s running because she believes that more young people should be at the forefront of politics and is ready to shake things up.

“I’m passionate about social change and making people’s lives better and brighter. There is nothing more that sets my soul on fire than knowing that what I’m working on and for is somehow changing people’s lives for the better, especially if those persons are vulnerable persons.”

At 22, Cachia became the first woman President of the Labour Youths, which helped her realise that she could do what she loved most, helping people for a living. “If elected, I will be working directly for the people – and there is no job in the world I would be prouder to have than to work for Malta and Gozo’s citizens – no matter who they are,” she said.

“As a feminist, as a socialist and as a progressive in the 21st century, it’s only natural that the furthering of sustainable development and civil liberties are on the forefront of my priorities… I am a big believer in the idea that the ideas of the future must always have environmental sustainability at their core; however, we must also ensure that this sustainability is achievable for all of us.”

Cachia said that Malta desperately needed more women at the table because of their under-representation in leadership positions and to challenge the way things are currently done.

“I want to see us challenge the idea that politicians are to fit a certain mould.”

Julie Zahra, Nationalist Party, 4th, 8th districts, Professional singer, teacher

Former Eurovision star Julie Zahra said that she was always interested in politics, albeit not being as vocal about it in previous years. “I studied sociology and politics at university, and I was always involved behind the scenes during the EU referendum. I now feel that I have the knowledge and experience to run now that I have a clearer picture of what Malta needs.”

Zahra said that the areas she champions the most are education and mental health. “Mental health is a subject that is very much close to my heart because I was once a bystander to the effects of poor mental health. As a country, there is a long way to go – and I want to help us get there.”

She says education was everything when it came to mental health, and that it was the public’s responsibility to educate their children.

The candidate said she got into politics to inspire her daughter and other women. “Society is made up of both men and women, but for the longest time, the representation was lacking. The point of view of women was often not heard. Being a woman, being a mother is often not easy; we need more discussions around this,” Zahra said.

Sandra Gauci, ADPD, 6th, 12th districts, Teacher, satirist

“I was prompted to run by the people who watch me [Gauci has a weekly programme on her Facebook page]. They were the ones who convinced me that I should try my hand at politics because they thought I’d be good at it,” Gauci explained, adding that Partit Demokratiku felt like the only viable option to her. The party would soon after merge with Alternattiva Demokratika to become ADPD.

The topics close to Gauci’s heart are social issues – particularly issues related to women, such as reproductive rights. However, the candidate also said that one of the issues she was passionate about was cost of living and low wages. “I hope to be a voice for the voiceless – those are the people who approach me, the ones who are suffering. I don’t get approached by construction heavyweights.”

Gauci said that women bring a unique voice to the table that differs from their male counterparts. “Woman offer a different perspective; we see the world differently – I find from my own experience that women are far less confrontational. From the debates I’ve been part of, I have found that women talk less over each other and speak more about the arguments at hand.”

Gauci said that if she knows one thing for sure, it’s that the way politics is currently being done isn’t working. “The system has gone crazy, and it needs to change.”

Alexia DeBono, Volt Malta, 8th, 9th districts, Content writer

DeBono said she got into politics because she wanted to see more representation. “As a bisexual woman and a part of the LGBTQ+ community, I want people to know that politics isn’t just for certain types of people; it’s for everyone.”

DeBono, who is the Co-President of the party, said that her intention of bringing the party to Malta was to give people who felt that the two main parties weren’t discussing things that were important to them an option.

The candidate said that social equality is close to her heart. “The minimum wage, parental leave, reproductive rights... and as a content writer, I always think it’s important that more support is given to the creatives in this country.”

DeBono highlighted that parliament desperately needed an injection of women. “We have women in parliament, but the number is far too low. It needs to be equal. But what I want to stress here is that we need more women who will talk about the subjects that have been deemed as ‘controversial’ even though in reality they are not.”

“We need women politicians who are willing to speak about euthanasia, abortion, etc., we need people in general who don’t have to toe the party line and can speak openly,” DeBono said.

A candidate from Partit ABBA declined MaltaToday’s offer to be part of this feature.

A full list of the women candidates for the upcoming general election 2022

Nationalist Party (17)

• Alessia Psaila Zammit – 6, 7
• Bernice Theresa Bonello – 2, 4
• Claudette Buttigieg – 12, 13
• Emma Portelli Bonnici – 9, 10
• Eve Borg Bonello – 9, 10
• Francine Farrugia – 5, 6
• Graziella Attard Previ – 9, 10
• Graziella Galea – 7, 12
• Janice Chetcuti – 3
• Josephine Xuereb – 7, 13
• Josianne Cardona Gatt – 1, 8
• Julie Zahra – 4, 8
• Maria Fatima Deguara – 11, 12
• Mary Doris Borg – 2, 4
• Mary Muscat – 3
• Paula Mifsud Bonnici – 1
• Rebekah-Ann Cilia – 7, 11

Labour Party (16)

• Abigail Camilleri – 13
• Alicia Bugeja Said – 3, 7
• Alison Zerafa Civelli – 2
• Amanda Spiteri Grech – 2, 4
• Audrey Inger Demicoli – 3
• Cressida Galea – 1, 8
• Davina Sammut Hili – 1
• Fiona Borg – 6, 8
• Fleur Anne Vella – 7
• Julia Farrugia Portelli – 5, 7
• Katya De Giovanni – 4, 6
• Miriam Dalli – 5, 11
• Naomi Cachia – 7, 12
• Rebecca Buttigieg – 9, 10
• Romilda Baldacchino Zarb – 11, 12
• Rosianne Cutajar – 6

ADPD (2)

• Melissa Joan Bagley – 5, 10
• Sandra Gauci – 6, 12

Volt Malta (2)

• Alexia DeBono – 8, 9
• Kass Mallia – 10, 11

ABBA (4)

• Antonia Gauci – 1, 5
• Rebecca Paris – 6, 8
• Romina Margo – 2, 4
• Vanessa Vassallo – 9, 11

Independent Candidate (1)

• Jane Chircop – 2, 12