CHAPTER I
The Republic of Malta
Substituted by:
LVIII. 1974.2.
The Republic of Malta
The Republic and
its territories.
Substituted by:
LVIII. 1974.3.
Amended by:
IV. 1987.2.
1.
(1) Malta is a democratic republic
founded on work and on
respect for the fundamental rights
and freedoms of the individual.
(2) The territories of Malta consist
of those territories
comprised in Malta immediately before
the appointed day,
including the territorial waters
thereof, or of such territories and
waters as Parliament may from time to
time by law determine.
(3) Malta is a neutral state actively
pursuing peace, security
and social progress among all nations
by adhering to a policy of
non-alignment and refusing to
participate in any military alliance.
Such a status will, in particular,
imply that:
(a) no foreign military base
will be permitted on Maltese
territory;
(b) no military facilities in
Malta will be allowed to be
used by any foreign forces except at
the request of the
Government of Malta, and only in the
following cases:
(i) in the exercise of the inherent
right of selfdefence
in the event of any armed violation
of
the area over which the Republic of
Malta has
sovereignty, or in pursuance of
measures or
actions decided by the Security
Council of the
United Nations; or
(ii) whenever there exists a threat
to the sovereignty,
independence, neutrality, unity or
territorial
integrity of the Republic of Malta;
(c) except as aforesaid, no
other facilities in Malta will be
allowed to be used in such manner or
extent as will
amount to the presence in Malta of a
concentration of
foreign forces;
(d) except as aforesaid, no
foreign military personnel will
be allowed on Maltese territory,
other than military
personnel performing, or assisting in
the performance
of, civil works or activities, and
other than a
reasonable number of military
technical personnel
assisting in the defence of the
Republic of Malta;
*See The Malta Independence
Order of the 2nd of September, 1964.
(e) the shipyards of the
Republic of Malta will be used for
civil commercial purposes, but may
also be used,
within reasonable limits of time and
quantity, for the
repair of military vessels which have
been put in a
state of non-combat or for the
construction of vessels;
and in accordance with the principles
of non-alignment
the said shipyards will be denied to
the military
vessels of the two superpowers.
Religion.
Substituted by:
LVIII.1974.4.
2.
(1) The religion of Malta is the
Roman Catholic Apostolic
Religion.
(2) The authorities of the Roman
Catholic Apostolic Church
have the duty and the right to teach
which principles are right and
which are wrong.
(3) Religious teaching of the Roman
Catholic Apostolic Faith
shall be provided in all State
schools as part of compulsory
education.
National Flag.
Substituted by
LVIII. 1974.5.
3.
(1) The National Flag of Malta
consists of two equal
vertical stripes, white in the hoist
and red in the fly.
(2) A representation of the George
Cross awarded to Malta by
His Majesty King George the Sixth on
the 15th April, 1942 is
carried, edged with red, in the
canton of the white stripe.
National Anthem.
4.
The National Anthem of Malta is
"L-Innu Malti" opening
with the words "Lil
din l-Art ]elwa 1-Omm li tatna isimha".
Language.
5.
(1) The National language of Malta is
the Maltese
language.
(2) The Maltese and the English
languages and such other
language as may be prescribed by
Parliament (by a law passed by
not less than two-thirds of all the
members of the House of
Representatives) shall be the
official languages of Malta and the
Administration may for all official
purposes use any of such
languages:
Provided that any person may address
the Administration in
any of the official languages and the
reply of the Administration
thereto shall be in such language.
(3) The language of the Courts shall
be the Maltese language:
Provided that Parliament may make
such provision for the
use of the English language in such
cases and under such
conditions as it may prescribe.
(4) The House of Representatives may,
in regulating its own
procedure, determine the language or
languages that shall be used
in Parliamentary proceedings and
records.
Constitution to be
supreme law.
Substituted by:
LVII.1974.2;
LVIII. 1974.69.
6.
Subject to the provisions of
sub-articles (7) and (9) of
article 47 and of article 66 of this
Constitution, if any other law is
inconsistent with this Constitution,
this Constitution shall prevail
and the other law shall, to the
extent of the inconsistency, be void.
Back to
Index of the Constitution of Malta
See also:
Constitution of Malta Act, 1964
