Alfred Sant facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Alfred Sant
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Sant in 2012
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| 11th Prime Minister of Malta | |
| In office 28 October 1996 – 6 September 1998 |
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| President | Ugo Mifsud Bonnici |
| Preceded by | Eddie Fenech Adami |
| Succeeded by | Eddie Fenech Adami |
| Leader of the Labour Party | |
| In office 26 March 1992 – 6 June 2008 |
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| Preceded by | Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici |
| Succeeded by | Joseph Muscat |
| Leader of the Opposition | |
| In office 6 September 1998 – 5 June 2008 |
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| President | Ugo Mifsud Bonnici |
| Prime Minister | Eddie Fenech Adami Lawrence Gonzi |
| Preceded by | Eddie Fenech Adami |
| Succeeded by | Charles Mangion (Acting); Joseph Muscat |
| In office 26 March 1992 – 28 October 1996 |
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| President | Ċensu Tabone Ugo Mifsud Bonnici |
| Prime Minister | Eddie Fenech Adami |
| Preceded by | Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici |
| Succeeded by | Eddie Fenech Adami |
| Member of the European Parliament for Malta |
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| In office 1 July 2014 – 8 June 2024 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | 28 February 1948 Pietà, Crown Colony of Malta |
| Political party | Labour |
| Education | University of Malta (BSc, MSc) École nationale d'administration (MPA) Boston University (MBA) Harvard University (DBA) |
Alfred Sant (born 28 February 1948) is a Maltese politician and a writer. He was the leader of the Labour Party for many years. He also served as the Prime Minister of Malta from 1996 to 1998. Before and after that, he was the Leader of the Opposition.
Alfred Sant is also a well-known writer. He has written many books and plays.
Contents
About Alfred Sant
His Early Life and Studies
Alfred Sant studied at the University of Malta. He earned degrees in Physics and Mathematics. Later, he studied public administration in Paris, France. This taught him about how governments are run.
He also studied in the United States. He got a Master's degree in Business Management from Boston University. Then, he earned a Doctor of Business Administration from Harvard Business School. These studies helped him understand how businesses work.
After his studies, Sant worked in different roles. He was an advisor and a managing director. He also worked with the Malta Development Corporation.
Starting in Politics
Alfred Sant joined the Labour Party. His first big role was leading the party's information department. He also became the President of the Labour Party. He worked to improve the party's communication.
He also studied how Malta could work with the European Community. This was a group of European countries. He wrote reports about Malta's relationship with Europe.
Sant first tried to become a Member of Parliament in 1987. He was not elected at first. But he later joined Parliament. In 1992, he became the leader of the Labour Party.
Becoming Prime Minister
The Labour Party won the election in October 1996. Alfred Sant became the Prime Minister of Malta. One of his main promises was to remove a tax called Value Added Tax (VAT). This tax was not popular.
His government replaced VAT with a similar tax. It was called the Customs and Excise Tax (CET). His government also paused Malta's application to join the European Union.
Sant was Prime Minister for about two years. His government had a very small majority in Parliament. This meant it was hard to pass laws. A disagreement with a former Prime Minister, Dom Mintoff, caused problems. This led to the government losing a vote in Parliament. Sant then asked for a new election. In September 1998, the Labour Party lost the election.
EU Referendum and Elections
After the 1998 election, the Nationalist party took over. They decided to continue Malta's plan to join the European Union. Alfred Sant remained the leader of the opposition. He spoke against Malta joining the EU.
In 2003, there was a vote called a referendum. People voted on whether Malta should join the EU. Sant told his supporters to vote 'No' or not vote at all. The 'Yes' side won the referendum. More than half of the voters supported joining the EU.
However, Sant argued that fewer than half of all eligible voters had voted 'Yes'. Because of this, both sides claimed victory. The Prime Minister then called for another election. In April 2003, the Labour Party lost again.
After this loss, Sant offered to resign as party leader. But he ran for the position again. He was re-elected by the Labour Party delegates. He continued to lead the party.
The 2008 Election
In 2008, the Labour Party, led by Sant, presented a new plan. They called for a "new beginning" for Malta. They wanted changes in education and to lower electricity costs. They also proposed tax breaks for overtime work.
In the 2008 election, Sant lost for the third time. He was defeated by Lawrence Gonzi. The difference in votes was very small. After this loss, Sant resigned as the leader of the Labour Party. Joseph Muscat became the new leader. Sant kept his seat in Parliament.
European Parliament Role
In 2014, Alfred Sant decided to run for the European Parliament. This was interesting because he had been against Malta joining the EU before. He received a lot of votes and was elected. He was re-elected in 2019. He decided not to run for re-election in 2024.
His Books and Writings
Alfred Sant is also a well-known writer. He has written many different types of books. These include plays, short stories, and novels. He has also written non-fiction books.
Plays
- Min Hu Evelyn Costa? (1979)
- Fid-Dell tal-Katidral (1994)
- Qabel Tiftaħ l-Inkjesta (1999)
Short Story Collections
- Kwart ta' Mija (1995)
- Pupu fil-Baħar (2009)
Novels
- L-Ewwel Weraq tal-Bajtar (1968)
- Bejgħ u Xiri (1981)
- Silġ fuq Kemmuna (1982)
- La Bidu, La Tmiem (2001)
- L-Għalqa tal-Iskarjota (2009)
- George Bush f'Malta (2013)
Non-fiction Works
- L-Impenn għall-Bidla (1986) - A collection of political essays.
- It-28 ta' April 1958 (1988) - A political story.
- Malta's European Challenge (1995)
- Confessions of a European Maltese (2003) - His autobiography.
- Is-Soċjaliżmu fi Żminijietna (2004)
Other Writings
Sant also edited magazines like Tomorrow and Society. He wrote many articles for newspapers. He regularly contributed to It-Torċa, a Maltese newspaper.
Honours
National Honours
Malta : Companion of Honour of the National Order of Merit (1996) - This award is given to Prime Ministers of Malta.
See Also
In Spanish: Alfred Sant para niños
- Prime Minister of Malta
- List of prime ministers of Malta
- Frans Sammut (2008): Alfred Sant: Il-Vizjoni ghall-Bidla
