Malta
EU Related Referendums
A referendum on the accession to the European Union was held on 8 March 2003. The governing Nationalist Party (PN) was strongly in favor of membership, while the opposition Malta Labour Party (MLP) was against. Although the MLP maintained that it was not anti-EU, and that indeed it planned to negotiate a special 'partnership' arrangement including a customs union with the EU if the party returned to office (a general election was to be held in April), the choice remained essentially between becoming members and staying out. On the day of the referendum there was a turnout of 90.91 percent, which was high but not by Maltese standards, where the norm in general elections is 96 percent. Of the valid votes cast, 53.65 percent voted 'Yes' and 46.35 percent
Referendum on the Accession to the European Union, 2003
Sources
Fenech, D. 2004. Malta. European Journal of Political Research, Vol. 43(7-8), 1078-1083.
Elections in Malta: http://maltadata.com/
