Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici
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| 9th Prime Minister of Malta | |
| In office 22 December 1984 – 12 May 1987 |
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| President | Agatha Barbara Paul Xuereb (acting) |
| Preceded by | Dom Mintoff |
| Succeeded by | Eddie Fenech Adami |
| 5th Leader of the Malta Labour Party | |
| In office 22 December 1984 – 26 March 1992 |
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| Preceded by | Dom Mintoff |
| Succeeded by | Alfred Sant |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 17 July 1933 Cospicua, Crown Colony of Malta |
| Died | 5 November 2022 (aged 89) |
| Political party | Labour Party |
| Parents | Lorenzo Mifsud Bonnici Catherine Buttigieg |
| Alma mater | University of Malta B.A., LL.D. University College London LL.M. (UCL) |
| Occupation | Politician, lawyer |
| Profession | Lawyer |
| Awards |  Companion of Honour of the National Order of Merit Malta Self-Government Re-introduction Seventy-Fifth Anniversary Medal Malta Independence Fiftieth Anniversary Medal |
Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici (17 July 1933 – 5 November 2022) was an important politician from Malta. He served as the Prime Minister of Malta from December 1984 to May 1987. He was also known as Dr. Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici was born on 17 July 1933 in Cospicua, Malta. His parents were Lorenzo Mifsud Bonnici and Catherine Buttigieg. He came from a family with strong ties to the Nationalist Party. His brother Antoine was a Member of Parliament (MP) for the Nationalist Party. His cousin, Ugo Mifsud Bonnici, also became an MP, a Minister, and later the President of Malta. Karmenu had two sisters and three brothers. He never married.
Karmenu studied at the Lyceum school. He then went to the University of Malta and earned a law degree in 1954. Later, in 1967–68, he studied taxation and industrial law at the University College London. After his studies, he became a lecturer at the University of Malta. He taught about industrial and tax laws.
In the 1960s, he worked with several Church-related groups. He supported these groups during a disagreement between the Maltese Church and the Labour Party. He once said he was "a Nationalist by birth, but a Labourite through free choice."
In 1969, he started working as a consultant for Malta's General Workers' Union. He helped the union and the Labour Party fight against a new law. This law would have punished workers who went on strike. He continued to be involved with the Labour Party throughout the 1970s.
Becoming a Leader: Prime Minister of Malta
In May 1980, Dom Mintoff, who was the leader of the Labour Party, chose Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici as his deputy leader. The party members agreed with this choice. Mifsud Bonnici then helped manage the Labour Party's campaign for the 1981 elections. The Labour Party won these elections, which was their third and last victory under Mintoff.
In October 1981, Mintoff announced that Mifsud Bonnici would be his successor. The party conference confirmed this decision. In May 1982, Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici became a Member of Parliament without being elected by the public. He was given the role of Minister of Employment and Social Services. Because he entered Parliament this way, some people called him "Doctor Zero."
In September 1983, Mifsud Bonnici became the Senior Deputy Prime Minister. He was also put in charge of the Ministry of Education until 1986. During this time, he worked to make education free for everyone. This led to a big disagreement between the government and the Church.
On 22 December 1984, Dom Mintoff resigned. Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici was then sworn in as Prime Minister. He was the first Maltese Prime Minister since Malta became independent who took office without first winning a general election. He also kept his roles as Minister of Interior and Minister of Education.
His time as Prime Minister was seen as a continuation of Dom Mintoff's leadership. He even kept the same group of ministers. There were still some political tensions in the country. Relations with the Church became worse. This was because of a law to take Church property and attempts to control Church schools.
In 1984, there was a protest by workers from the Malta Drydocks. Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici was there. After the protest, the offices of the Maltese Church were damaged. He called the workers "the aristocracy of the working class."
In 1985, Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici was the main negotiator during the hijacking of EgyptAir Flight 648. Sadly, 60 out of 92 passengers died during this event.
The Labour Party narrowly lost the 1987 elections. Many people blamed Mifsud Bonnici for the defeat. He remained the Leader of the Opposition until 1992. After another election loss in 1992, he resigned. Alfred Sant then took over as leader. Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici kept his seat in Parliament until the 1996 election. He did not run in any elections after that.
Later Years and Legacy
In 2003, during the campaign for Malta to join the EU, Mifsud Bonnici started a group called the Campaign for National Independence (CNI). He later joined another group to oppose Malta joining the EU. They suggested a different agreement, or "partnership," for Malta. This idea was similar to Mintoff's vision of Malta being like the "Switzerland of the Mediterranean."
Two years later, he also spoke against a new European Constitution. However, his idea was not accepted by the Labour Party in 2005. After this, he kept a quiet role within the party but remained involved with the CNI.
Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici passed away on 5 November 2022, at the age of 89.
Honours
Companion of Honour of the National Order of Merit (1990) by right as a former Prime Minister of Malta
Malta Self-Government Re-introduction Seventy-Fifth Anniversary Medal (1996)
Malta Independence Fiftieth Anniversary Medal (2014)
See also
- In Spanish: Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici para niños
- Prime Minister of Malta
- List of prime ministers of Malta
