General elections were held in Malta between 12 and 14 December 1953.[1] The Malta Labour Party emerged as the largest party, winning 19 of the 40 seats. However, the Nationalist Party formed a government with the Malta Workers Party on 9 January 1954 with Giorgio Borġ Olivier continuing as Prime Minister.[2]
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Background edit
The Nationalist Party-Workers Party government led by Giorgio Borġ Olivier had been defeated in the Legislative Assembly vote on a budget motion on 9 October 1953.[2] This led to the three Workers Party ministers resigning from the cabinet on 12 October.[2] Following discussions with party leaders, the Assembly was dissolved by Governor Gerald Creasy on 15 October.[2] Elections were called, and the Nationalist Party ministers remained in office as a caretaker government.[2]
The election was contested by five parties; the Nationalist Party, the Workers Party, the Malta Labour Party, the Constitutional Party and the Progressive Constitutionalist Party,[2] and were held using the single transferable vote system.[3]
Results edit
| Party | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Malta Labour Party | 52,771 | 44.55 | 19 | +5 | |
| Nationalist Party | 45,180 | 38.14 | 18 | +3 | |
| Malta Workers Party | 14,000 | 11.82 | 3 | –4 | |
| Progressive Constitutionalist Party | 5,128 | 4.33 | 0 | New | |
| Constitutional Party | 1,374 | 1.16 | 0 | –4 | |
| Total | 118,453 | 100.00 | 40 | 0 | |
| Valid votes | 118,453 | 99.26 | |||
| Invalid/blank votes | 880 | 0.74 | |||
| Total votes | 119,333 | 100.00 | |||
| Registered voters/turnout | 148,478 | 80.37 | |||
| Source: Nohlen & Stöver | |||||