Former Nationalist MP Karl Gouder, longtime party stalwart, passes away at 45

The former Nationalist MP Karl Gouder has passed away at the age of 45, the Nationalist Party has announced.

Opposition leader Bernard Grech said the news had shocked the party, sending his condolences to the Gouder family. “He was a dedicated person who occupied so many important posts within the PN and its media. Our thoughts are with his family. We ask that the family's privacy is respected at this delicate moment.”

The lifeless body of Gouder was found near the former Customs House in Valletta. The death was not being treated as suspicious.

The former MP was contesting for the upcoming post of PN general secretary, having held the role of chief operation officer in the PN’s media.

Gouder was the former mayor of St Julian’s and stood for PN MP between 2010 and 2013, and between 2015 and 2022.

European Parliament president Roberta Metsola, who joined youth politics with the PN the same time as Gouder, said she was devastated by the news. “I will miss you,” she said in a terse one-liner.

Prime Minister Robert Abela sent his condolences to Gouder’s family. “I knew Karl as a student at St Aloysius College – years later we became colleagues in the House of Representatives. Our childhood friendship was always there even while on opposite sides of the House. Karl was always gifted with a sense of commitment towards the community and citizens. I am deeply sorrowed by his loss.”

Former prime minister Lawrence Gonzi described Gouder as a cheerful personality. “He could smile even when faced by the difficult challenges life throws at us. He was a genuine person, in all he did, because he was persuaded that politics was a service to the community. His dedication, commitment, and constant loyalty to the PN were the hallmark of all he did, whatever role he occupied himself with.”

The MGRM, Malta's gay rights lobby group, expressed shock at the news of Gouder's passing and saluted his memory. “Karl was Malta's first openly gay politician who was elected as a Member of Parliament, and whilst in office, he was one of the more vocal persons in the early days of the debate on the cohabitation bill and in the journey towards marriage equality,” the MGRM said in a Facebook post.

“We want to thank Karl for his commitment to his public office and for representing our community particularly at a time when the conversation was very different, and much more difficult than today. We want to offer our most sincere condolences to his family, his friends and his colleagues who we know will miss him dearly,” the organisation added.

Gouder was co-opted to the House of Representatives in 2010 at the age of 30, selected by the PN’s executive to take the vacated seat of former minister Michael Frendo, chosen to take the role of Speaker of the House.

As a university student, he spent two years as a member of the executive of the university students’ council (KSU), first as treasurer, and then as president. He had prided himself of having led a very active committee that managed to unite student organisations, namely the PN-leaning Studenti Demokristjani and the Labour-leaning Pulse.

He successfully contested the St Julian’s local election for the first time in 2005.

In 2008, he contested both the local election and the general election, but failed to be elected mayor by just 10 votes.

Gouder took an active interest in youth politics and education. “I loved politics when I was young, but there was no one in the family who was involved in politics,” he commented back in 2010. “I firmly believe that in Malta in particular, if you work hard and really want to achieve something, you will manage. The key is education. It gives you endless possibilities.”

At the time, Gouder was also a believer in the power of harnessing renewable sources of energy to wean Malta off fossil fuels.

He fondly remembered his school days at St Aloysius College as a place where he had spent “nine fantastic years” in which the value of hard work was a fundamental of the education he received. “They taught us to be men dedicated to the service of others. I hope my values will help me when I have to take tough decisions.”