1956 Maltese United Kingdom integration referendum

A referendum on integration with the United Kingdom was held in Malta on 11 and 12 February 1956.[1] The proposals were approved by 77% of those who voted, on a turnout of 59.1%. They were never fully implemented, and the country became a Realm within the British Commonwealth titled the State of Malta eight years later.[2]

1956 Maltese United Kingdom integration referendum
11–12 February 1956
Results
Choice
 Votes  %
Yes 67,607 77.02%
No 20,177 22.98%
Valid votes 87,784 97.17%
Invalid or blank votes 2,559 2.83%
Total votes 90,343 100.00%
Registered voters/turnout 152,783 59.13%
Politics of Malta
Republic
Government
Parliament
Judiciary
Political parties
Recent elections
Administrative divisions
Foreign relations

Proposals

Under the proposals, Malta would have had three seats of its own in the British House of Commons.[3] In addition, the Home Office would take over responsibility for Maltese affairs from the Colonial Office.[4] The UK parliament would have control of defence and foreign affairs, and eventually direct taxation, whereas the Maltese parliament would be responsible for all other areas of public life, including education and the position of the Catholic Church.[5] Standards of living on the islands would be raised to parity with the rest of the UK by raising wages and increasing employment opportunities.[5]

Results
ChoiceVotes%
For67,60777.02
Against20,17722.98
Total87,784100.00
Valid votes87,78497.17
Invalid/blank votes2,5592.83
Total votes90,343100.00
Registered voters/turnout152,78359.13
Source: Nohlen & Stöver

References
  1. Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p1302 ISBN 978-3-8329-5609-7
  2. Smith, Simon C. (2007). Integration and disintegration : the attempted incorporation of Malta into the United Kingdom in the 1950s. The Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History, 35(1), 49-71.
  3. Dangerous Game, The Spectator, 10 February 1956
  4. Malta, Simon C. Smith, University of London, Institute of Commonwealth Studies, The Stationery Office, 2006, page 133
  5. Referenda in Malta: The Questions and the Voters' Responses Elections in Malta Archived September 27, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.