The prime minister of Malta (Maltese: Prim Ministru ta' Malta) is the head of government, which is the highest official of Malta. The Prime Minister chairs Cabinet meetings, and selects its ministers to serve in their respective portfolios. The Prime Minister holds office by virtue of their ability to command the confidence of the Parliament, as such they sit as Member of Parliament.
The Prime Minister is appointed by the President, in doing so, the President is of the opinion that the appointed individual is the most able to command the majority of the House of Representatives; typically, this individual is the leader of a political party or coalition of parties that hold the largest number of seats in the House of Representatives.
Fourteen people have served as prime minister of Malta since the office was established in 1921. The post did not exist in the period between 1933 and 1947 and also in the period between 1958 and 1962. Joseph Howard was the inaugural holder of the role, while Robert Abela is the incumbent. As of 2022, there have been 5 Nationalist Party prime ministers, 6 Labour Party prime ministers, 2 Political Union-affiliated prime ministers, 1 Constitutionalist prime minister and one Workers Party-affiliated prime minister.
Died in office
| Portrait | Name | Election | Term of office | Political party | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | |||||
| 1 | Joseph Howard | 1921 | 26 October 1921 | 13 October 1923 | Political Union | ||
| 2 | Francesco Buhagiar | — | 13 October 1923 | 22 September 1924 | Political Union | ||
| 3 | Ugo Pasquale Mifsud | 1924 | 22 September 1924 | 1 August 1927 | Nationalist Party | ||
| 4 | Gerald Strickland | 1927 | 9 August 1927 | 21 June 1932 | Constitutional Party | ||
| Ugo Pasquale Mifsud | 1932 | 21 June 1932 | 2 November 1933 | Nationalist Party | |||
| Office Abolished (2 November 1933 – 4 November 1947) | |||||||
| 5 | Paul Boffa | 1947 | 4 November 1947 | 26 September 1950 | Labour Party | ||
| — | Workers Party | ||||||
| 6 | Enrico Mizzi | 1950 | 26 September 1950 | 20 December 1950 | Nationalist Party | ||
| 7 | Giorgio Borġ Olivier | — | 20 December 1950 | 11 March 1955 | Nationalist Party | ||
| 1951 | |||||||
| 1953 | |||||||
| 8 | Dom Mintoff | 1955 | 11 March 1955 | 26 April 1958 | Labour Party | ||
| Office Abolished (26 April 1958 – 5 March 1962) | |||||||
| Giorgio Borġ Olivier | 1962 | 5 March 1962 | 21 June 1971 | Nationalist Party | |||
| 1966 | |||||||
| Dom Mintoff | 1971 | 21 June 1971 | 22 December 1984 | Labour Party | |||
| 1976 | |||||||
| 1981 | |||||||
| 9 | Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici | — | 22 December 1984 | 12 May 1987 | Labour Party | ||
| 10 | Eddie Fenech Adami | 1987 | 12 May 1987 | 28 October 1996 | Nationalist Party | ||
| 1992 | |||||||
| 11 | Alfred Sant | 1996 | 28 October 1996 | 6 September 1998 | Labour Party | ||
| Eddie Fenech Adami | 1998 | 6 September 1998 | 23 March 2004 | Nationalist Party | |||
| 2003 | |||||||
| 12 | Lawrence Gonzi | — | 23 March 2004 | 11 March 2013 | Nationalist Party | ||
| 2008 | |||||||
| 13 | Joseph Muscat | 2013 | 11 March 2013[1] | 12 January 2020 | Labour Party | ||
| 2017 | |||||||
| 14 | Robert Abela | — | 12 January 2020[2] | Incumbent | Labour Party | ||
| 2022 | |||||||